In the next article we are going to take a look at Rclone Browser. Rclone is a command line utility that allows Gnu / Linux users quickly and easily connect to any supported cloud storage service (Dropbox, Google Drive, Open Drive, FTP server and others). This is a useful service, but complicated and tedious to use for the average user.
If you need to use Rclone To connect to your favorite cloud storage service from Gnu / Linux, an easy way to do it is to use Rclone Browser. This app takes the hassle out of doing everything from connecting to uploading / downloading files with a sleek user interface.
General characteristics of Rclone Browser
- Allows browse and modify any Rclone connection, including encrypted ones.
- Use the same configuration file as Rclone, therefore no additional configuration is required.
- Admits custom location and encryption for the configuration file .rclone.conf.
- We can browse multiple repositories simultaneously, in separate tabs.
- List files hierarchically with file name, size and modification date.
- All Rclone commands run asynchronously, without freezing the GUI.
- The file hierarchy is cached, for a faster tour of folders.
- Our will allow uploading, downloading, creating new folders, renaming or deleting files and folders.
- Allows calculate folder size, export file list and copy to clipboard.
- Can process multiple upload or download jobs in the background.
- Includes drag and drop support. We can drag files from the local file explorer to load them.
- Streaming multimedia files for playback in a player like mPV or similar.
- We will also be able to mount and unmount folders on macOS and GNU / Linux.
- Optionally minimizes to tray, with notifications when upload / download completes.
Rclone Browser installation on Ubuntu
Rclone Browser makes it easy to use the Rclone command line tool. The problem is that it does not come pre-installed on any Gnu / Linux operating system. So, before we can see how to use this browser for Rclone, we must see how to install it on Ubuntu. For this example I am going to use Ubuntu 20.04.
The installation of the Rclone browser is done differently depending on the distribution we are using. In Ubuntu, start the installation, we will have to open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T). Once open, to install this app, we will only have to use the following command:
sudo apt install rclone-browser
Rclone browser settings
To configure Rclone Browser we will have to start with start the program on the desktop looking for it in the applications menu.
Step 1:: In the program interface we will find the 'buttonConfig'. This can be found in the lower left section of the screen. We will only have to click on this button to start setup.
Step 2:: A window will open. In it we will have to press the key n to create a 'New remote connection'.
Step 3:: Enter a name for your new remote connection.
Step 4:: Following We will see a list of possible cloud storage connections, next to a number next to it. We will have to write this number to select any of them. For example, to configure a connection to Open Drive, we must enter the number 22.
Step 5:: The next thing we will have to do is write our username in the box 'username'.
Step 6:: Now we will have to push the button Y to be able to write the user password.
Step 7:: At this point we will have to press Y to tell Rclone Browser that the configuration made is correct. We will finish by clicking Q to close the configuration editor.
When closing the settings window, we may not see anything new on the program screen. In order for the connection that we have just created to appear, just click on the button "refresh", located at the bottom left of the screen.
Access the new connection
To access our new cloud storage connection from Rclone Browser, select the connection that we have just configured in the '' tabremotes'and select the' buttonOpen' located in the lower right.
After selecting 'Open', if the username and password are correct, our files should load in the browser. From here, we can review our files, upload new ones, delete existing files, create new folders and download everything through the Rclone browser.
Mounting folders
If you want to mount your Rclone Browser remote storage in an existing folder on your PC, click on the button 'Mount'. Then use the file browser pop-up window to select a folder in which to mount the remote folder.
It can get more information about this program from project GitHub page.