How to Install Dropbox on Debian 10 Server and Desktop

Table of Contents
Install Dropbox on Debian 10 Server and Desktop
Dropbox is the online storage service that provides online storage to backup and store data automatically with security. It has both a free and paid plan. In the free plan, Dropbox provides 2GB storage and if you want more storage, then you can buy paid plans. In this tutorial, you are going to learn how to install Dropbox on Debian 10.
Prerequisites
Before you start to install Dropbox on Debian 10. You must have the non-root user account on your Server/Desktop with sudo privileges.
1. Install Dropbox With GUI
Now, Update the package manager index by typing the following.
sudo apt update
Install Dropbox by running following command
sudo apt install nautilus-dropbox
After installing Dropbox, launch Dropbox from Activities.

It will start automatically downloading the main Dropbox binaries. After downloading completes. It will prompt you to enter credentials and login or register with Dropbox. After Successful Sign in you are ready to use Dropbox.
Now start using Dropbox by visiting the Dropbox menu on your system.
2.Install Dropbox from Terminal
Enter the following command to download Dropbox on the system. It will create .dropbox-dist in HOME directory.
For 32 bit:
cd ~ && wget -O - "https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86" | tar xzf -
For 64 bit:
cd ~ && wget -O - "https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64 | tar xzf -"
Start Dropbox daemon by typing following
~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd
The output should be:
This computer isn't linked to any Dropbox account... Please visit https://www.dropbox.com/cli_link_nonce?nonce=dhjsjchy89ksf5372828c03709 to link this device.
Now open the above link in your favorite browser. Note you can also open the above link on any other system.
Enter username and password and Sign In to the account. Once the server connects to Dropbox account you can see the following output
This computer is now linked to Dropbox. Welcome Smart
Now folder named Dropbox will be created in HOME directory. List files inside folder typing
ls Dropbox
It’s time to install Dropbox CLI (Dropbox Command Line Interface). Dropbox CLI requires Python should be installed. Enter the following commands to install Python and Dropbox CLI.
sudo apt install python
sudo wget -O /usr/local/bin/dropbox "https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/dropbox.py"
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/dropbox
3. Manage Operations with Dropbox CLI
To Manage Dropbox operations on the server-side you should use Dropbox CLI (Command Line Interface).
List all commands available with Dropbox CLI by typing:
dropbox
The output should be,
Output: Dropbox command-line interface commands: Note: use dropbox help <command> to view usage for a specific command. status get current status of the dropboxd throttle set bandwidth limits for Dropbox help provide help puburl get public url of a file in your dropbox's public folder stop stop dropboxd update download latest version of dropbox running return whether dropbox is running start start dropboxd filestatus get current sync status of one or more files proxy set proxy settings for Dropbox autostart automatically start dropbox at login exclude ignores/excludes a directory from syncing lansync enables or disables LAN sync sharelink get a shared link for a file in your dropbox ls list directory contents with current sync status
If you want more information about a specific command enter following command
dropbox help sharelink
The above command will provide you more information about the share link command.
dropbox running Returns 1 if running 0 if not running.
Check the status of dropbox by typing
dropbox status
If Dropbox is not active then start service by running following command
dropbox start
To stop dropbox service enter following command
dropbox stop
Get sync status of Dropbox file by typing
dropbox filestatus Dropbox/test.txt
Generate a shareable link for a file by typing
dropbox sharelink Dropbox/test.txt
You can exclude the directory from syncing by using the following command
dropbox exclude add Dropbox/dir1
To list excluded directories type following command
dropbox exclude list
Remove directory from excluded list typing
dropbox exclude remove Dropbox/dir1
4. Start Dropbox After Reboot
To start Dropbox after every reboot you should create systemd service inside your Debian. Create a service by running the following command
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/dropbox.service
Copy the following code inside that file by typing. You should replace User, Group and Dropbox CLI path /usr/local/bin/
with your paths.
[Unit] Description=Dropbox Service After=network.target [Service] ExecStart=/bin/sh -c '/usr/local/bin/dropbox start' ExecStop=/bin/sh -c '/usr/local/bin/dropbox stop' PIDFile=${HOME}/.dropbox/dropbox.pid User=smart Group=smart Type=forking Restart=on-failure RestartSec=5 StartLimitInterval=60s StartLimitBurst=3 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
Reload systemctl daemon typing
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
Now enable Dropbox service by typing following command
sudo systemctl enable dropbox.service
Start Dropbox service using
sudo systemctl start dropbox.service
Get status of the Dropbox service by
sudo systemctl status dropbox.service
Conclusion
You have successfully learned how to install Dropbox on Debian 10. If you have any queries don’t forget to comment below.
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