Best cloud storage services with CLI for Raspberry Digital Signage: (Guide)

Introduction

When running Raspberry Digital Signage on a Linux-powered Raspberry Pi, reliable and scriptable cloud storage is essential for automating content updates, backups and synchronizations. A command-line interface (CLI) makes it easy to integrate uploads, downloads and mounts into your signage workflows. This article reviews the top cloud-storage providers with CLI support, compares them side by side, explains how to install and use each via CLI on Raspberry Digital Signage, highlights typical issues, and offers guidance on selecting the best solution for your installation.

Top Recommendations for Raspberry Digital Signage

• pCloud – native CLI, client-side encryption, easy mounting
• MEGA – official MEGAcmd tool, end-to-end encryption
• Proton Drive – zero-knowledge encryption via WebDAV
• Filen – privacy-focused zero-knowledge WebDAV interface
• Tresorit – enterprise-grade end-to-end encryption (mountable via rclone)
• Icedrive – client-side encryption, WebDAV mount
• Dropbox – popular consumer storage with official daemon and CLI
• Google Drive (via rclone) – free 15 GB, mount and sync via rclone

Comparison Table

Service Overviews and CLI Usage

1. pCloud (pcloudcc)

pCloud offers a native CLI client (pcloudcc) that supports mounting, sync and basic file operations.

• Official site: pCloud.com
• Client-side encryption with Crypto upgrade

1. Install the CLI:

wget https://downloads.pcloud.com/cli/pcloudcc.deb
sudo dpkg -i pcloudcc.deb

2. Login and mount:

pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p yourpassword --mountpoint ~/pcloud-drive

Use pcloudcc --help for more commands. Common issues include broken mounts after reboot—ensure you add pcloudcc ... --mountpoint to /etc/rc.local.

2. MEGA (MEGAcmd)

MEGA provides megacmd for full CLI control, including sync, share and trash operations.

1. Install MEGAcmd:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd

2. Authenticate and list files:

mega-login you@example.com
mega-ls /
mega-put localfile.png /DigitalSignage/

Watch for session timeouts re-run mega-login if commands fail with permission errors.

3. Proton Drive via WebDAV

Proton Drive doesn’t ship a native CLI, but supports WebDAV, so davfs2 lets you mount it like a network drive.

1. Install davfs2 and create mountpoint:

sudo apt install davfs2
mkdir ~/proton-drive

2. Add to /etc/fstab (root or sudo):

https://api.protondrive.ch ~/proton-drive davfs noauto,user 0 0

3. Mount it:

mount ~/proton-drive

If mount prompts for credentials, use an App Password from your Proton account. Common pitfalls: stale tokens—re-mount periodically or script unmount/remount.

4. Filen via WebDAV

Filen offers zero-knowledge encryption and a WebDAV endpoint:

sudo apt install davfs2
mkdir ~/filen-drive
echo https://dav.filen.io ~/filen-drive davfs noauto,user 0 0  sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
mount ~/filen-drive

Use your Filen credentials when prompted. If you see “permission denied”, ensure your user is in the davfs2 group:
sudo usermod -aG davfs2 USER.

5. Tresorit via rclone

Tresorit has limited CLI support. The community standard is to use rclone with Tresorit’s WebDAV interface.

rclone config
# create new remote:
# name> tresorit
# type> webdav, vendor> other, url> https://webdav.tresorit.com
# user/password> your creds
rclone mount tresorit: ~/tresorit-drive --daemon

Ensure fusermount is installed. Re-mount via cron or systemd. Watch for stale tokens after password changes.

6. Icedrive via WebDAV

Icedrive supplies a WebDAV endpoint as well:

sudo apt install davfs2
mkdir ~/icedrive
echo https://webdav.icedrive.net ~/icedrive davfs noauto,user 0 0  sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
mount ~/icedrive

Provide your Icedrive credentials when prompted. If the mount stalls, check the network and verify URL spelling.

7. Dropbox Official CLI

Dropbox offers an official Linux daemon and simple CLI commands:

sudo apt install python3-gpg python3-pip
pip3 install dropbox
dropbox start -i
dropbox status
dropbox filestatus ~/Dropbox/signage.mp4

After dropbox start -i, follow the OAuth link. Frequent issue: headless authentication—use dropbox login to generate a token on another machine.

8. Google Drive via rclone

Google Drive has no official headless CLI, so rclone is the de facto solution:

rclone config
# new remote: name> gdrive, type> drive
# follow OAuth steps (use device flow or local browser)
rclone mount gdrive: ~/gdrive --daemon

Automate with systemd or cron. Watch for token expiration—rclone handles refresh, but if auth breaks, re-run rclone config.

How to Choose the Right Cloud Storage

• Budget: Free tiers vary (1–20 GB). Paid plans start from 1.67/mo up.
• Encryption: Zero-knowledge services (Proton Drive, Filen, Tresorit) protect data client-side.
• Official CLI: pCloud and MEGA offer native CLI, simplifying installs and updates.
• Mounting Method: WebDAV via davfs2 or rclone works for most official daemons (Dropbox) can auto-sync in background.
• Reliability Support: Enterprise services (Tresorit) offer SLA consumer offerings (Mega, pCloud) may have community support.

Conclusion

For a headless, script-driven Raspberry Digital Signage setup, pCloud and MEGA stand out due to their official CLI tools and straightforward mounts. If end-to-end zero-knowledge is paramount, Proton Drive or Filen via WebDAV is ideal. Tresorit and Icedrive can be tamed with rclone or davfs2, while Dropbox and Google Drive remain ubiquitous choices with robust ecosystems. Evaluate your storage needs—capacity, encryption, budget—and automate the CLI mounting in your /etc/rc.local or systemd units to ensure seamless updates to your digital signage content.