Best cloud storage services with CLI for Slax: (Guide)

Introduction

Choosing the right cloud storage solution with a command-line interface (CLI) is crucial for users of minimalist distributions like Slax. A CLI-based approach ensures lightweight operation, scriptable workflows and full control over file transfers without the overhead of graphical environments. In this article, we explore the best cloud storage providers offering robust CLI tools, compare their features, and provide practical setup and usage examples on Slax.

Top Recommended Cloud Storage for Slax

• pCloud
• MEGA
• Proton Drive
• Filen
• Tresorit
• Icedrive
• Nextcloud (self-hosted)
• Dropbox
• Rclone (multi-provider)

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

Your ideal choice depends on storage needs, privacy requirements, budget and performance on Slax. Key considerations:

• Maximum Free Quota: MEGA (20 GB) and pCloud (10 GB)
• Strongest Privacy: Tresorit, Filen, Proton Drive (end-to-end encryption)
• Scriptability amp Multi-Provider Support: Rclone
• Self-Hosting: Nextcloud
• Budget-Friendly Premium: pCloud lifetime plans

For general use with solid free storage, MEGAcmd or pcloudcc are excellent. If privacy is paramount, consider Tresorit CLI or Filen CLI. Power users who want one tool to handle multiple backends will appreciate rclone.

Installation and Usage on Slax

1. pCloud (pcloudcc)

pCloud CLI (pcloudcc) lets you mount your pCloud drive or sync folders.

• Download the binary:

wget https://download.pcloud.com/pcloudcc_deb_x64.tar.bz2
tar xjf pcloudcc_deb_x64.tar.bz2
sudo install pcloudcc /usr/local/bin/

• Login and mount:

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

Common issues: FUSE not installed—install via slackpkg install fuse. If mount fails, run modprobe fuse as root.

2. MEGA (MEGAcmd)

MEGA’s CLI provides both interactive shell (mega-cmd) and direct commands (mega-put, mega-get).

• Install via snap or direct package:

# If snap is available:
sudo snap install megacmd
# Or download .deb and install:
wget https://mega.nz/linux/MEGAsync/xUbuntu_20.04/amd64/megacmd-xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./megacmd-xUbuntu_20.04_amd64.deb

• Upload a file:

mega-login youremail@example.com yourpassword
mega-put ~/file.txt /Root

Common issues: Ensure your session is valid—use mega-login before transfer. On network hiccups, retry with --no-progress.

3. Proton Drive (proton-drive-cli)

An unofficial CLI for Proton Drive. End-to-end encrypted.

git clone https://github.com/jopino/proton-drive-cli.git
cd proton-drive-cli
pip3 install --user .

proton-drive login
proton-drive upload localfile.txt /

Common issues: Make sure Python 3.8 and pipx or virtualenv is used to avoid dependency conflicts.

4. Filen (filen-cli)

# Download AppImage
wget https://filen.io/filen-cli-linux.AppImage
chmod  x filen-cli-linux.AppImage
./filen-cli-linux.AppImage setup

./filen-cli-linux.AppImage login
./filen-cli-linux.AppImage upload ~/mydoc.pdf /Backups

Common issues: Ensure FUSE AppImage support—install fuse package. Use --no-fuse if unavailable.

5. Tresorit (tresorit-cli)

wget https://d26621b7l0hdka.cloudfront.net/desktop-client/cli/tresorit-cli_Linux_x64.tar.gz
tar xzf tresorit-cli_Linux_x64.tar.gz
sudo install tresorit-cli /usr/local/bin/

tresorit login
tresorit sync ~/Tresorit MyTresorFolder

Common issues: Watch filesystem watch limits—increase via sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288.

6. Icedrive (icedrive-cli)

wget https://icedrive.net/download/linux-cli.zip
unzip linux-cli.zip
sudo install icedrive-cli /usr/local/bin/

icedrive-cli auth login
icedrive-cli upload file.txt /MyDrive

Common issues: Node.js requirement—install via slackpkg install node or use prebuilt binary.

7. Nextcloud Client

slackpkg install nextcloud-client
nextcloud --non-interactive --headless --configure 
  --username user --password pass 
  --url https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/webdav ~/Nextcloud

Common issues: SSL certificate errors—import CA or use --no-verify-peer in trusted environments.

8. Dropbox CLI

wget -O dropbox.tar.gz https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64
tar xzf dropbox.tar.gz
~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

dropbox status
dropbox start -i

Common issues: The daemon runs in the background—use dropbox stop to reset. Link via browser prompt.

9. Rclone

Rclone is the Swiss Army knife for CLI cloud sync across 60 providers.

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh  sudo bash
rclone config
# Follow interactive prompts to add a remote (e.g. google drive)
rclone copy file.txt remote:folder

Common issues: Token expiration—re-run rclone config reconnect remote: periodically. Check rclone --version for updates.

Typical CLI Problems amp Solutions

1. Missing Dependencies: Minimal distros may lack fuse, libcurl, or python3. Install via slackpkg or include in your bootable Slax modules.
2. FUSE Mount Errors: Run modprobe fuse and ensure /dev/fuse exists with correct permissions.
3. Authentication Failures: CLI tools often require interactive OAuth or browser-based login. Use headless flags (--headless) or copy-paste tokens.
4. Network Interruptions: Use retry flags like --retries or tools’ built-in resume capabilities (rclone has --retries 5).
5. Filesystem Watch Limits: Sync tools may hit inotify limits increase with sysctl or reduce watched folders.

Conclusion

For Slax users seeking CLI-driven cloud storage, the best choice balances free quota, security and ease of installation. MEGAcmd and pcloudcc stand out for storage allowances and performance. Privacy-centric users will benefit from Tresorit, Filen or Proton Drive. Power users and multi-cloud aficionados should adopt rclone. Follow the provided installation steps, address common issues, and integrate these CLI tools into your Slax workflow for seamless cloud access.