odrive is a universal cloud synchronization service that allows you to access data hosted in all the most popular cloud services and web applications, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Cloud Storage and Gmail, Amazon Cloud Drive and S3, Microsoft OneDrive and OneDrive, in a single window. for business, Yandex.Disk, Box.net, 4shared, ADrive, HiDrive, Facebook and Instagram, Hipchat, Backblaze B2 and Slack. In addition, the service supports the use of FTP, SFTP and WebDAV protocols.
The odrive client for Windows integrates with Explorer, just like programs from Microsoft or Google, allowing you to generate links to folders and files directly from the context menu, providing shared access to them. Support for placeholder files saves disk space, allows users to limit the client's network connection usage, and provides the ability to automatically refuse file synchronization after a selected time has elapsed.
Interestingly, you can use multiple accounts to access supported services, making it easy to access personal, family, private and work cloud storage at the same time. If desired, the odrive folder can be moved from the system drive to another drive; the client can track folder movements within the cloud storage, synchronizing changes. Surely some of the service users will find it useful to be able to encrypt files by simply moving them to a specially prepared folder.
The program is distributed free of charge, users also have access to a free tariff plan, but to access all options you will have to purchase a paid premium subscription. The Russian language is not yet supported for the interface. You can use odrive on computers running Windows 7, 8 or 10, as well as Mac OS 10.10 or newer.
I was thinking the other day that it would be nice to synchronize files with some cloud. To avoid it, so to speak. There are quite a lot of companies providing this kind of service, but... I wouldn’t want to contact the Chinese, for example. Well, I don’t have any trust in them. This means you will have to use “our” servers.
So what do we have? There are 15 GB for Yandex. This is enough to create backup copies of small files, but not the same, for example, video surveillance. Why do I need a copy of video surveillance on the Internet? Let's imagine this hypothetical situation (pah-pah-pah): they broke into your apartment and took everything away, including the computer on which all the records are located. And that’s it, you won’t see anything or anyone else. With the cloud there is at least some chance.
But let's continue. There are approximately 120 GB on Google servers and about 1 TB on Mail.ru. Of course, it would be preferable to use the latter, but taking into account the fact that you will have to work with it from the command line, which it does not support, as far as I know, then Mail.ru is no longer necessary. So that leaves Google. An Internet search yielded only a couple of utilities for working with the cloud from the command line. Nothing was found in the system repositories either. Finding ourselves in such cramped circumstances, we will use what we have.
I started with the gdrive utility. Looking ahead, I will say that, most likely, I will stop at this one; I will not consider the second one for now. What can she do? And they can do everything that can be useful to us. The most important thing is that it has a synchronization function, which is required. Installation is also not required, this is another plus. The help is very good, examples of use are shown at the end. In my case, it is enough to add the necessary command to the scripts that are executed when the motion recording is completed. In other words, everything turned out to be so simple that I lost the desire to experiment with other programs.
A little earlier, I came across the official Yandex client, which can be used on the Linux command line. I also tried it and was also pleased with it. It is installed on the system, works as a daemon and automatically synchronizes the folder specified during initial setup. It cannot synchronize several folders, but there is a way out - use symbolic links, it supports working with them. There is a list of exceptions; here you can already specify several objects that should not be synchronized. In general, it would also suit me if I had more space in the Yandex cloud. You can buy one of the tariffs, paying only 800 rubles per year and getting 100 GB of space. Or another, paying 2000 and getting 1 TB. I'm not happy with this yet, so let's leave everything as it is.
The Mail.ru company, of course, pleased me. To begin with, the fact that after many years there is still no normal way to synchronize files other than their native client. Which, of course, cannot work from the command line. It seems that there was access via webdav for corporate clients, but there is no such information on their website anymore, so we will assume that they also removed this function. Then I inquired about the prices. In the corporate segment, disk space is not regulated, but you will pay 2.3 rubles per day for each gigabyte of stored information, and you will also pay for downloading it from the cloud. Or, in the case of video files, for watching them. Uploading or deleting information is free. Reminds me of the old joke about free camel riding, from which it costs a certain amount to get off.
To exchange files between computers and mobile gadgets, cables and flash drives are no longer needed. If devices have Internet access, files can “fly” between them “on the cloud.” More precisely, they can “settle” in cloud storage, which is a collection of servers scattered around the world (united into one virtual - cloud server), where users place their data for a fee or for free. In the cloud, files are stored in the same way as on a computer’s hard drive, but are accessible not from one, but from different devices that are able to connect to it.
Every second or third Internet user has already adopted cloud data storage technology and uses it with pleasure, but some still resort to flash drives. After all, not everyone knows about this opportunity, and some simply cannot decide which service to choose and how to use it. Well, let's figure it out together.
What are cloud storages from a user's point of view and how do they work?
If you look through the eyes of an inexperienced user, cloud storage is an ordinary application. All it does is create a folder on the computer under its own name. But not simple. Everything you put into it is simultaneously copied to the same cloud Internet server and becomes accessible from other devices. The size of this folder is limited and can grow within the limits of the disk space allocated to you (on average from 2 GB).
If the cloud storage application is running and the computer (mobile gadget) is connected to the global network, the data on the hard drive and in the cloud are synchronized in real time. When working offline, as well as when the application is not running, all changes are saved only in the local folder. When the machine is connected to the Internet, access to the storage becomes possible, including through a browser.
Files and folders uploaded to the cloud are full-fledged web objects, the same as any content on Internet sites and FTP storages. You can link to them and share links with other people, even those who do not use this service. But only those to whom you have authorized it will be able to download or see an object from your storage. In the cloud, your data is hidden from prying eyes and is securely password protected.
The majority of cloud services have additional functionality - a file viewer, built-in document editors, tools for creating screenshots, etc. This, plus the amount of space provided, creates the main differences between them.
is a cloud data storage service that needs no introduction to Windows users. Of course, in the latest releases of this OS (in the top ten), it actually climbs on top of everything on the screen, since it is configured to autorun by default.
For Windows users, the advantage of the Microsoft OneDrive service over its analogues is perhaps only one - it does not need to be installed. You also don’t need to create a separate account for it—to log into the cloud, you just need to enter your Microsoft account information.
The owner of one Microsoft OneDrive account provides 5 GB of free disk space to store any information. To get additional volume, you will have to pay extra. The maximum is 5 TB and costs 3,399 rubles per year, but this package includes not only disk space, but also the Office 365 application (home edition). More affordable tariff plans are 1 TB (2,699 rubles per year - storage and Office 365 personal) and 50 GB (140 rubles per month - storage only).
Additional features of all tariffs:
- Support for other operating systems - Mac OS X, iOS and Android.
- View and edit documents using built-in Office applications.
- Remote access to the entire contents of the computer (not just the OneDrive folder) on which the service is installed and your Microsoft account is used.
- Creation of photo albums.
- Built-in messenger (Skype).
- Creation and storage of text notes.
- Search.
Paid versions only:
- Creating links with a limited validity period.
- Offline folders.
- Multi-page scanning and saving documents to a PDF file.
In general, the service is not bad, but sometimes there are problems logging into your account. If you are going to work with the web version of the storage (via a browser) and log into it under a different IP address than you used before, Microsoft sometimes runs a check that the account belongs to you, which takes a lot of time.
There have also been complaints about user content being removed from OneDrive when Microsoft suspected it was unlicensed.
is one of the oldest cross-platform cloud storage services. Unlike the previous one, it supports all major operating systems, as well as some less commonly used ones, such as Symbian and MeeGo. The service is very easy to use, works quickly and stably.
A DropBox user is provided with only 2 GB of disk space for free to store personal files, but this volume can be doubled by creating and attaching another account to your account - a work account (which can actually be personal). Together you get 4 GB.
Switching between personal and work disk space on the DropBox website and in the application is carried out without logging out of your account (no need to enter your username and password each time). A separate folder is created on the computer for both accounts - 2 GB each.
DropBox, as expected, also has several pricing plans. About free it was said above, Paid ones are “Plus” (1 TB, $8.25 per month, intended for personal use), “Standard” (2 TB, $12.50 per month, for business), “Advanced” (unlimited volume, $20 per month for 1 user) and “Enterprise” (unlimited volume, individually set price). The differences between the last two are in the set of additional options.
In addition to storage, free users have access to:
- Document collaboration service DropBox Paper.
- Ability to share links and create public folders.
- Log of file changes with the ability to restore them to the previous version (up to 30 days).
- Commenting on files - both your own and other users, if the file is available for viewing.
- Search function.
- Receiving notifications about events (customizable individually).
- Automatic uploading of photos from the camera (by the way, DropBox provided users with additional space for enabling this option some time ago).
- Select full or selective synchronization.
- Encryption of data during storage and transmission.
The possibilities of paid tariffs can be listed for a very long time, so we will only note the main ones:
- Remotely destroy data from DropBox on a lost or stolen device.
- Limit the link's validity period.
- Two-factor account authentication.
- Setting access levels to different data.
- Enhanced HIPAA/HITECH class information protection (secure storage of medical records).
- 24/7 technical support.
DropBox, if not the best, is a very worthy service. Despite the small amount of free space by today's standards, it is used by millions of people around the world.
Mega (Megasync)
As is clear from the description, Amazon Web Services is aimed only at the corporate sector and is not intended for storing albums with photographs of cats, although it is possible that someone uses it for this too. After all, cloud file storage - Amazon Glacier, like Yandex disk, provides users with 10 free GB. The cost of additional volume is $0.004 per 1 GB per month.
Comparing Amazon Glacier with the web resources described above is perhaps incorrect, since they have slightly different purposes. The functionality and capabilities of this service are determined by business objectives, including:
- Uninterrupted operation, increased reliability.
- Compliance with enhanced data protection standards.
- Multilingual interface.
- Unlimited volume (expansion for an additional fee).
- Ease of use and flexible settings.
- Integration with other Amazon Web Services.
Those who are interested in Amazon's capabilities can read the complete documentation for AWS products, which is located on the official website.
Mail.ru
It ranks second or third in the popularity rating of file web storage among Russian-speaking audiences. In terms of its range of capabilities, it is comparable to Google Drive and Yandex Drive: like them, it contains web applications for creating and editing documents (texts, tables, presentations) and a screenshoter (a utility for taking screenshots). It is also integrated with other Mail.ru projects - mail, social networks “My World” and “Odnoklassniki”, the “Mail. Dating”, etc., has a convenient file viewer with a flash player and is also very affordable (for those for whom the allocated volume is not enough).
The size of the free disk space of the Mail cloud is 8 GB (previously this figure has changed several times). The premium tariff for 64 GB costs 690 rubles per year. For 128 GB you will have to pay 1,490 rubles per year, for 256 GB - 2,290 rubles per year. The maximum volume is 512 GB, which will cost 3,790 rubles per year.
Other functions of the service are not much different from similar ones. This:
- Shared folders.
- Synchronization.
- Built-in search.
- Ability to share links.
The Mail.ru client application works on Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.
Cloud storage is a proprietary web service for owners of smartphones and tablets of the same manufacturer. Designed to store backup copies of data from mobile devices - multimedia content, OS files and other things at the user's discretion.
The Samsung Cloud client application is pre-installed on phones and tablets released after the second half of 2016 (more precisely, after the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7). Registering an account on the service is only possible through it, apparently to weed out outsiders.
The free storage capacity is 15 GB. An additional 50GB costs $0.99 per month, and 200GB costs $2.99.
iCloud (Apple)
- a favorite among cloud data storage users of Apple products. Of course, it’s free (though not very spacious) and integrated with other Apple services. The service is designed to store backup copies of data from iPhone, iPad and iPod, as well as user media files, mail and documents (the latter are automatically synchronized with the contents of iCloud Drive).
Free iCloud storage capacity is 5 GB. Additional storage retails for $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB.
The iCloud client app supports Mac OS X, iOS, and Windows operating systems. There is no official application for Android, but owners of devices based on this OS can view mail from the Apple cloud on their device.
The top parade of cloud storages is completed by a Chinese service. As you can see from the screenshot, it is clearly not adapted for you and me. Why is it needed then, if there are domestic, European and American analogues that are more familiar to Russian-speaking people? The fact is that Baidu provides users with a whole terabyte of free disk space. For this reason, it is worth overcoming translation difficulties and other obstacles.
Registration on Baidu Cloud is significantly more labor-intensive than competitors. It requires confirmation with a code sent via SMS, but SMS from the Chinese server does not arrive to Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian numbers. Our fellow citizens have to get by by renting a virtual phone number, but that’s not all. The second difficulty is that an account cannot be registered with some email addresses. In particular, on the services gmail (Google is blocked in China), fastmail and Yandex. And the third difficulty is the need to install the Baidu Cloud mobile application on your phone or tablet, since this is what 1 TB is given for (when registering on a computer, you will receive only 5 GB). And it, as you understand, is entirely in Chinese.
Aren't you scared? Dare - and you will be rewarded. Information on how to create an account on Baidu yourself is available on the Internet.
Yes, this is possible!
Each of us has long been using one or more cloud services for work or for our own needs. Dropbox, Google Drive(which ), Yandex Disk and other similar services have practically replaced flash drives and removable drives.
To work with data from the cloud, partial or complete synchronization is required. At the same time, the contents of the cloud migrate to the computer and take up precious space, especially for Mac owners with a small SSD drive.
Constant synchronization reduces the resource of modern drives and loads weak computers.
You can refuse to store data from the cloud and use the web interface. But there are a couple of solutions that compromise the convenience of using files on a Mac and the need to sync data from the cloud.
Alternative one
One option is file managers with support for cloud services. I liked it for these purposes Commander One Pro.
A good two-panel file manager with the necessary minimum capabilities. You can try the basic set of functions in the free version of the utility, but you will have to pay extra for the ability to “look into the cloud”.
A special feature of Commander One Pro is support for WebDAV and the most popular cloud services, Dropbox and Google Drive. In a separate menu, you can add an unlimited number of accounts and quickly switch between them. 
When access to the cloud is configured, you can show its contents in any of the panels. Navigating through folders is very fast (of course, it all depends on the connection speed), you can delete, rename and open any files. When you use Commander One Pro, it feels like your data is right on the device.
I did not find any serious disadvantages to this solution. Take note of this application, the price for it is now biting ( RUB 2,290), however, developers regularly offer discounts and sales. I purchased the program a few months ago for only 75 RUR.
Alternative two
The creators of the application offer another way to work with files from the cloud. ExpanDrive. After installing it, you need to log in to the cloud, and the program will display the contents as if you had connected an external flash drive.
The disk will appear in the Finder and will be available for full work both in a standard file manager and in any third-party software. The speed of working with files from the cloud will depend on your network connection and the power of your Mac. When requested, the data will be loaded into a temporary cache, and after the program is closed, it will be deleted from the computer.
ExpanDrive supports DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive and a dozen other less popular services. In the settings, you can enable automatic loading at system startup and reconnection of fallen storages. 
The application is distributed on the developer's website. The price is not the most affordable - $49.95
, there is a free trial version.
Pros:
- saving disk space;
- saving SSD disk resource;
- saving network traffic;
- reducing the load on the computer.
Disadvantages of such solutions:
- difficulty when working with large files;
- There are occasional small lags;
- high cost of applications.
It’s a pity that Yandex.Disk, Dropbox and Google Drive force us to store cloud files on our computer. Well, it’s okay, now we have found a way out!
Syncing files between devices is a great thing. We save the file in one place and have access to it from all devices. The downside is that our files are stored on servers in the cloud and someone could steal them or view them. However, you can sync files between computers and smartphones without the cloud.
How dangerous it is to store files in the cloud doesn't need to be written - everyone has probably heard about the latest scandal involving naked pictures of celebrities who only managed to gain access by hacking their cloud accounts. Therefore, if you are concerned about data security, find an alternative solution.
An alternative is BitTorrent Sync. It is a data synchronization tool that allows you to automatically transfer files between computers and smartphones from selected folders. The difference, however, is that the files are transferred directly from device A to device B - there are no intermediaries, and the files are not stored on any servers, they are copied directly to the disk storage. The connection is established via a local network (Wi-Fi) or, in the absence of one, via the Internet.
Download BitTorrent Sync on Windows(select the appropriate version for Windows XP or Vista, 7, 8, 8.1)
Download BitTorrent Sync on Android
Download BitTorrent Sync for iOS
Download BitTorrent Sync on Windows Phone
Download BitTorrent Sync on Kindle Fire
Step 1: We provide a folder on your computer
The principle of the program is very simple. First, we share a directory on the computer in which we have, for example, your photographs. We will then invite other people (devices) to this folder who will share the directory with each other.
To do this, we download and install the BitTorrent Sync program and then launch it. Let's start by sharing a folder, so we click the "Add Folder" button and select a directory on the drive.
A new settings window will appear. During sharing, we can choose whether the folder should be read-only by other devices (Read Only - one-way synchronization, other devices will not be able to add files to our directory), or whether it should be synchronized on both sides (Read Write - other devices will be able to read and also add files to the folder, and they will appear on the disk with us).
We then receive a link that, once sent, allows other devices to join the shared directory. We can copy the link to the clipboard (Copy) and paste it, for example, into a Facebook chat or send it by email (Mail). We also have the option to display a QR code which, after scanning with the Sync Android app, will sync the folder with your smartphone.
Step 2. Connect to a folder on another computer.
If you want to join a folder from another PC or laptop, copy the link to the clipboard and send it via email, chat, or any other method to another computer. We install the BitTorrent Sync application on the second computer and then receive the link.
After opening the link, we accept the attachment to the folder - from this moment on, the folder will be shared and, depending on the selected type of synchronization, new files will be automatically sent to one or both parties.
Step 3: Attach a folder from your smartphone or tablet.
To join a folder from your smartphone, simply download the app to your phone or tablet. Links to the corresponding versions for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Kindle Fire can be found at the beginning of the article.
After launching the application, you will see a fairly simple interface with a list of subfolders. Until then, we won't find any directory here - click the plus button in the top right corner to connect to the folder. A QR code scanner will appear.
We scan the QR code. The folder will be immediately added to the list. When we enter it, all the files contained in it will be displayed in the list. Touching the selected file will download it from your computer to your local memory and open it. If you want to sync all your files immediately, just click the menu in the top right corner and select the Sync option.
If we want to add files to a directory, we click on the first icon on the left in the top toolbar. We then mark the files that need to be added and that's it - they will be immediately sent to other computers using the shared directory.