Self-Hosting OpenClaw: A VPS Setup Guide

How to self-host your OpenClaw environment on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) for 24/7 availability and maximum control.

Team · · 8 min read

OpenClaw is designed to be self-hosted. While you can run it on your local machine, self-hosting on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) offers many advantages.

  • 24/7 Availability: Your AI employees can run even when you're offline.
  • Privacy: Your data and secrets are kept on your own server.
  • Scalability: Easily upgrade your VPS as your agentic workloads grow.

1. Choosing a VPS Provider

Any reputable VPS provider will work (e.g., DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr). We recommend a server with at least 4GB of RAM and 2 CPUs.

2. Setting Up the OS

Ubuntu is a good choice for OpenClaw. Make sure to update your packages and install the necessary dependencies (Node.js, Docker, Python, etc.).

3. Installing OpenClaw

OpenClaw can be installed via npm.

# Install OpenClaw
npm install -g openclaw
# Initialize OpenClaw
openclaw init

4. Technical Artifact: A VPS Setup Script

You can use a simple bash script to automate the setup process.

#!/bin/bash
# Update packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
# Install Docker
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y
# Install Node.js
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
# Install OpenClaw
sudo npm install -g openclaw
# Start OpenClaw
openclaw gateway start

5. Security Best Practices

  • SSH Keys: Use SSH keys instead of passwords for authentication.
  • Firewall: Only allow traffic on the ports you need (e.g., 5686 for OpenClaw).
  • Updates: Regularly update your OS and OpenClaw.

6. Accessing Your OpenClaw Environment

Once OpenClaw is running on your VPS, you can access it via its public IP or a domain name. You can use the openclaw CLI or a messaging platform (like Telegram or Discord) to interact with your AI employees.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your AI

At Hangryfeed, we self-host all our OpenClaw environments. By taking control of our infrastructure, we ensure that our AI employees are always available and secure.

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