How To Set up Dropbox on AlmaLinux 9

This tutorial intends to show you to Set up (Install) Dropbox on AlmaLinux 9. Also, you will learn to Install Dropbox CLI (Command Line Interface) on AlmaLinux 9.

Dropbox is a cloud storage service that lets you save files online and sync them to your devices.

You can use Dropbox links to share files and folders with other people without sending large attachments.  

Dropbox offers a free plan that includes 2 GB of storage. You can pay to increase that to as much as 3 TB with a subscription.

How Dropbox works?

When you subscribe to Dropbox, you are allotted a certain amount of storage space in an online server known as “the cloud.” After installing the Dropbox app on your PC, mobile device, or both, any files that you store in your Dropbox locally will be copied to the Dropbox server as well. 

The updates are automatically mirrored everywhere if you change these files in one place. By synchronizing your Dropbox files locally and online, you can easily access them anywhere and share them with others. 

Steps To Set up Dropbox on AlmaLinux 9

To complete this guide, you must log in to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. To do this, you can follow our guide on Initial Server Setup with AlmaLinux 9.

Install Dropbox on AlmaLinux 9

First, you need to run the system update by using the command below:

sudo dnf update -y

Download the Dropbox package for Linux

At this point, you need to download the Dropbox package from the official Dropbox website using the wget command.

To download the Dropbox package for 64-bit OS and extract it, 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.

Then, you can run the Dropbox service by using 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. Once you do, your Dropbox folder will be created in your home directory.

Access Dropbox Application

You can access the Dropbox app on your AlmaLinux 9 desktop under Applications > Internet. Click on it to run your Dropbox app.

Install Dropbox CLI on AlmaLinux 9

For those who are easier to work with the command-line interface, Dropbox also includes a command-line interface (CLI) that lets you control Dropbox with the command line. 

To install dropbox CLI, follow the steps below.

First, you need to install Python on your server by using the command below:

sudo dnf install python3 -y

Then, you need to download a python script. It will be used to control Dropbox from the command line. Run the following command 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
 puburl       get public url of a file in your Dropbox's public folder
 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: 167.4.4719
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2020.03.04

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Set up Dropbox on AlmaLinux 9. Also, you have learned to Install Dropbox CLI on your server.

Hope you enjoy it. You may be interested in these articles:

Install and Use SQLite on AlmaLinux 9

Add Swap Space on AlmaLinux 9

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