Best cloud storage services with CLI for Whonix: (Tutorial)

Introduction

Whonix is a Debian‐based, privacy‐focused Linux distribution designed to protect against network surveillance and traffic analysis. While Whonix excels at anonymity, finding a cloud storage solution with a dedicated Command‐Line Interface (CLI) that respects privacy can be challenging. This article examines top CLI‐driven cloud storage services—pCloud, MEGA, Proton Drive, Filen, Tresorit, Icedrive—and adds Backblaze B2 as an extra option. We’ll compare features, recommend the best fit for Whonix, guide you through CLI usage, and address common issues.

Top Recommended Cloud Storage Services for Whonix

• pCloud – https://www.pcloud.com
• MEGA – https://mega.nz
• Proton Drive – https://proton.me/drive
• Filen – https://www.filen.io
• Tresorit – https://tresorit.com
• Icedrive – https://icedrive.net
• Backblaze B2 – https://www.backblaze.com/b2/cloud-storage.html

Comparison Table

Which One to Choose?

Choosing a service depends on your priorities:

• Privacy and Zero-Knowledge: MEGA, Proton Drive, Tresorit.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Backblaze B2 (pay-per-use), pCloud lifetime plans.
• Ease of CLI Use: pCloud (dedicated tool), MEGA (megacmd), Backblaze B2 (official b2).
• Comfort with Third-Party Tools: Filen, Icedrive, Tresorit via rclone.

For Whonix, a service providing native CLI, strong encryption, and minimal tracking is ideal. Proton Drive and MEGA are leading candidates. If cost is critical, Backblaze B2 with client-side encryption via rclone GPG is unbeatable.

How to Use Each CLI on Whonix

pCloud

Install the pCloud CLI daemon (pcloudcc) from the official .deb:

wget https://download.pcloud.com/cmd-linux/pcloudcc_2.3.1-1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i pcloudcc_2.3.1-1_amd64.deb

Configure and mount:

pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword --verbose
# Default mountpoint is ~/.config/pcloudcc. To specify:
pcloudcc -u you@example.com -p YourPassword --mount /home/user/pCloud

Basic commands:

# Upload a file
pcloudcc upload /local/file.txt /remote/path/
# Download
pcloudcc download /remote/path/file.txt /local/
# List directory
pcloudcc list /remote/path/

Typical problems:

• Missing FUSE: sudo apt install fuse.
• Repeated login failures – enable verbose to inspect network errors.

MEGA

Install MEGAcmd from the official repository:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install megacmd

Login and basic usage:

mega-login you@domain.com YourPassword
mega-mkdir /WhonixBackup
mega-put /home/user/Documents/ /WhonixBackup/
mega-ls /
mega-get /WhonixBackup/report.pdf ~/Downloads/

Typical problems:

• CLI timeout – increase MEGA_CMD_TIMEOUT environment variable.
• Quota errors – check account usage with mega-quota.

Proton Drive

Use the community‐supported proton-drive-cli (Python):

sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install proton-drive-cli

Authenticate and run:

proton-drive login
# Follow URL, paste auth code
proton-drive upload ./myfile.txt /Drive/Whonix/
proton-drive ls /Drive/Whonix/
proton-drive download /Drive/Whonix/myfile.txt ./ 

Typical problems:

• Multi‐factor auth – ensure you complete the web flow.
• Rate limiting – add delays or retry loops.

Filen (via rclone)

Filen provides WebDAV. Use rclone to sync:

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# Choose new remote, name: filen, protocol: webdav
# URL: https://webdav.filen.io
# Vendor: Other
# User/pass: your Filen credentials

Sync or mount:

rclone sync ~/WhonixData filen:/Backup
rclone mount filen:/ /mnt/filen --daemon

Typical problems:

• WebDAV timeouts – adjust --timeout 1m.
• Directory structure – ensure remote folders are created first.

Tresorit (via rclone)

Tresorit can be accessed via rclone’s tresorit backend:

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# New remote: tresorit
# Type: tresorit
# Follow instructions to get API key/secret from Tresorit console

Usage:

rclone copy ~/secret tresorit:WhonixArchive
rclone ls tresorit:
rclone mount tresorit: /mnt/tresorit --daemon

Typical problems:

• API rate limits – add --tpslimit or --low-level-retries.
• Mount requires FUSE version ≥ 3.2.

Icedrive (via rclone)

Icedrive supports WebDAV and rclone’s icedrive backend:

sudo apt install rclone
rclone config
# New remote: icedrive
# Type: webdav
# URL: https://dav.icedrive.net
# Vendor: other, set user/pass

Basic commands:

rclone copy ~/Videos icedrive:WhonixVideos
rclone mount icedrive: /mnt/ice --daemon

Typical problems:

• SSL errors – ensure ca-certificates are up to date.
• Large file uploads – use --transfers 1 to reduce concurrency.

Backblaze B2

Backblaze offers an official Python CLI (b2) and rclone support. Install the official tool:

sudo apt install python3-pip
pip3 install b2

Authorize and use:

b2 authorize-account yourAccountId yourAppKey
b2 create-bucket whonix-backups allPrivate
b2 upload-file whonix-backups ~/Documents/report.pdf report.pdf
b2 ls whonix-backups
b2 download-file-by-name whonix-backups report.pdf ./report.pdf

Or use rclone:

rclone config
# New remote: b2remote
# Type: b2
# Enter account  key
rclone sync ~/Backups b2remote:whonix-backups

Typical problems:

• Clock skew – ensure system time is accurate for API auth.
• Large transfers – tune --multipart-chunk-size.

Conclusion

Whonix users seeking CLI‐driven cloud storage have multiple strong contenders. Proton Drive and MEGA offer zero‐knowledge encryption with native CLI tools, while pCloud combines ease of use and Swiss privacy. For cost‐effective large‐scale storage, Backblaze B2 with rclone/GPG is unbeatable. Filen, Tresorit, and Icedrive integrate seamlessly through rclone if you’re comfortable with third-party tools. Evaluate your priorities—privacy jurisdiction, encryption model, cost, and CLI maturity—to choose the best solution for your Whonix environment.