Install Dropbox on Debian 12 Bookworm

This tutorial intends to teach you to Install Dropbox and Dropbox CLI on Debian 12 Bookworm. Dropbox is the most popular cloud storage service. It lets you save files online and sync them to your devices. You can use Dropbox links to share files and folders with other people. Dropbox has a free plan that includes 2 GB of storage.

Full Guide To Install Dropbox and Dropbox CLI on Debian 12 Bookworm

To complete this guide, you must have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. To do this, you can follow this guide on Initial Server Setup with Debian 12 Bookworm.

Now follow the steps below to complete the Dropbox installation on Debian 12.

Step 1 – Download and Install Dropbox on Debian 12

First, you need to run the system update with the following command:

sudo apt update

Then, you must visit the Dropbox Official website and download the Dropbox package by using the wget command.

Download Dropbox for Linux

To download the Dropbox package for 64-bit OS, run the following command in the Terminal:

sudo cd ~ && sudo wget -O - "https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64" | tar xzf -

In the case of 32-bit OS, you have to run the following command in the Terminal:

sudo cd ~ && sudo wget -O - "https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86" | tar xzf -

Note: The above command will create a hidden folder “.dropbox-dist” under your Home directory. To view this hidden folder, navigate to your Home Directory using the cd ~ command and type ls -a.

Step 2 – How To Launch Dropbox from the Linux Terminal?

At this point, run the Dropbox daemon with the following command:

sudo ~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd

Note: If you’re running Dropbox on your server for the first time, you’ll be asked to copy and paste a link in a working browser to create a new account or add your server to an existing account.

This computer isn't linked to any Dropbox account...
Please visit https://www.dropbox.com/cli_link_nonce?nonce=02a629dbedbaa8dd65 to link this device.

Once you do, your Dropbox folder will be created in your home directory.

You can access the Dropbox app on your Debian 12 desktop under Applications > Internet. Click on it to run your Dropbox app.

After installing the Dropbox app on your PC, mobile device, or Linux, any files that you store in your Dropbox locally will be copied to the Dropbox server as well.

Step 3 – How To Install Dropbox CLI on Debian 12?

Dropbox also includes a command-line interface (CLI) that lets you control Dropbox with the command line. It allows you to start, stop, synchronize, and view the current status of each file.

Python 3 packages are installed by default on Debian 12. If you don’t have it, you can use the command below to install it:

sudo apt install python3

Download the Dropbox command line

Then, you need to download a Python script. It will be used to control Dropbox from the command line. Run the following command in the Terminal to download the Python script:

sudo wget -O /usr/local/bin/dropbox "https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/dropbox.py"

Next, make the script executable with the command below:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/dropbox

To list all the commands that can be used to control Dropbox CLI, simply run the following command:

dropbox

Output
Dropbox command-line interface

commands:

Note: use dropbox help <command> to view usage for a specific command.

 autostart    automatically start Dropbox at login
 exclude      ignores/excludes a directory from syncing
 filestatus   get current sync status of one or more files
 help         provide help
 lansync      enables or disables LAN sync
 ls           list directory contents with current sync status
 proxy        set proxy settings for Dropbox
 running      return whether Dropbox is running
 sharelink    get a shared link for a file in your Dropbox
 start        start dropboxd
 status       get current status of the dropboxd
 stop         stop dropboxd
 throttle     set bandwidth limits for Dropbox
 update       download latest version of Dropbox
 version      print version information for Dropbox

For example, to view the version of Dropbox, run the command below:

dropbox version

Output
Dropbox daemon version: 176.4.5108
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2022.12.05

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Install Dropbox and Dropbox CLI on Debian 12 Bookworm. With Dropbox, you have cloud storage that you can share, save files, etc.

Hope you enjoy it. Also, you may be like these articles too:

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