Introduction
In the era of distributed teams and remote work, choosing cloud storage with a robust command-line interface (CLI) is essential for Linux users. This article explores the best cloud storage providers that offer native or community-driven CLI tools, tailored for Linux Ultimate Edition. We compare key features, pricing, encryption, and ease of integration. You will also find practical examples and common troubleshooting tips.
Top Recommendations for Linux Ultimate Edition
- pCloud – Strong security, client-side encryption option, easy CLI.
- MEGA – Generous free storage, end-to-end encryption, mega-cmd tool.
- Proton Drive – Privacy-focused, zero-knowledge encryption, proton-drive-cli.
- rclone – Universal CLI for Google Drive, Dropbox, S3 and more.
- AWS S3 – Scalable object storage, official
awscli. - Tresorit – Enterprise-grade security, tresorit-cli (community).
- Icedrive – Modern UI, client-side encryption, icedrive-cli.
- Filen – EU-based privacy, filen-cli.
Comparison Table
| Provider | Free Tier | Encryption | CLI Tool | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pCloud | 10 GB | Client-side (pCloud Crypto) | pcloudcc | pCloud.com |
| MEGA | 20 GB | End-to-end | mega-cmd | mega.io |
| Proton Drive | 1 GB | Zero-knowledge | proton-drive-cli | proton.me/drive |
| rclone | Depends on backend | Optional, via rclone crypt | rclone | rclone.org |
| AWS S3 | 5 GB (Free Tier) | Server-side/KMS | awscli | aws.amazon.com/s3 |
| Tresorit | 3 GB | End-to-end | tresorit-cli | tresorit.com |
| Icedrive | 10 GB | Client-side | icedrive-cli | icedrive.net |
| Filen | 10 GB | Zero-knowledge | filen-cli | filen.io |
Which One to Choose?
Select based on:
- Privacy: Proton Drive, Tresorit, Filen.
- Free Storage: MEGA (20 GB), pCloud (10 GB), Icedrive (10 GB).
- Multi-backend: rclone for Google Drive, OneDrive, S3.
- Enterprise: AWS S3, Tresorit.
CLI Setup and Usage
1. pCloud CLI
Install and configure pcloudcc:
# Debian/Ubuntu sudo apt install pcloudcc # Login pcloudcc -u your@example.com -p MyP@ssword # Mount pCloud at ~/pcloud mkdir -p ~/pcloud pcloudcc -u your@example.com -p MyP@ssword -m ~/pcloud # Upload file pcloudcc upload /path/to/local/file /remote/folder/
Common issues: Missing FUSE, stale mounts. Ensure fusermount is installed.
2. MEGA (mega-cmd)
# Ubuntu PPA sudo apt update sudo apt install megacmd # Login mega-login user@example.com MyP@ss # List root directories mega-ls / # Upload mega-put local.txt /myfolder/remote.txt # Download mega-get /myfolder/remote.txt ~/Downloads/
Watch for: network timeouts. Use mega-sync for continuous sync.
3. Proton Drive CLI
# Install via pip pip3 install proton-drive-cli # Initialize login proton-drive login # List files proton-drive ls # Upload proton-drive upload ~/file.txt /Drive/MyFolder/ # Download proton-drive download /Drive/MyFolder/file.txt .
If you see authentication errors, ensure your Proton account has 2FA disabled or generate an app password.
4. rclone
Supports 40 backends. Example for Google Drive:
# Install curl https://rclone.org/install.sh sudo bash # Configure remote rclone config # Select n for new remote, choose drive, follow OAuth steps # List rclone ls gdrive: # Copy local to drive rclone copy ~/Pictures gdrive:Backups/Pictures # Mount mkdir ~/gdrive rclone mount gdrive: ~/gdrive
Common pitfalls: OAuth callback issues. Use rclone config --drive-use-server-side-trash=false if trash space is limited.
5. AWS S3 (awscli)
# Install sudo apt install awscli # Configure aws configure # Enter AWS Access Key ID, Secret, region # List buckets aws s3 ls # Upload aws s3 cp file.txt s3://my-bucket/path/ # Sync aws s3 sync ~/data s3://my-bucket/backup/
Ensure IAM policies allow S3 actions. Use KMS keys for encryption if needed.
6. Tresorit CLI (community)
# Clone and build (no official package) git clone https://github.com/xxx/tresorit-cli.git cd tresorit-cli make sudo make install # Authenticate tresorit login # Sync folder tresorit sync ~/Tresor ~/LocalFolder
Community tool stability may vary. Check GitHub issues for updates.
7. Icedrive CLI
# Download binary wget https://github.com/IcedriveApp/cli/releases/download/v1.0/icedrive-linux chmod x icedrive-linux sudo mv icedrive-linux /usr/local/bin/icedrive # Login icedrive login # Mount mkdir ~/icedrive icedrive mount ~/icedrive # Upload icedrive put file.txt /MyDrive/
FUSE dependency required. If mount fails, install fuse3.
8. Filen CLI
# Install via apt (if available) sudo apt install filen-cli # Authenticate filen-cli login # Upload filen-cli upload /local/file /RemoteFolder/ # Download filen-cli download /RemoteFolder/file /local/
Watch for endpoint errors switch regions with --region eu if needed.
Conclusion
Each provider offers unique strengths: choose pCloud or MEGA for generous free quotas Proton Drive or Tresorit for maximum privacy rclone or AWS S3 for enterprise flexibility. This guide equips Linux Ultimate Edition users with the knowledge to install, configure, and troubleshoot CLI tools, ensuring seamless integration into scripts and automation workflows.
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