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OpenClaw deployment guide

Deploy OpenClaw on a VPS and own your AI agent infrastructure

OpenClawVPSDocker

Short answer

An OpenClaw gateway running behind HTTPS on your domain, connected to Telegram or Discord, with persistent storage, daily backups, and a systemd service that survives reboots.

Why this matters

OpenClaw runs fine on your laptop, but production needs 24/7 uptime, stable webhook endpoints, persistent memory, and secure remote access. Most setup guides skip server hardening, reverse proxy config, and backup planning.

Walkthrough

  1. 01

    Choose your VPS and install Docker

    OpenClaw needs a Linux server with Docker. Hetzner CX22 (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM at $4/month) is the community favourite for price and performance.

    • Provision an Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 VPS from Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Hostinger (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM minimum).
    • SSH in and install Docker: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
    • Add your user to the docker group and log back in.
  2. 02

    Pull and configure the OpenClaw container

    Create the config directory and pull the official OpenClaw Docker image from GitHub Container Registry.

    • Create directories: mkdir -p ~/openclaw/data
    • Pull the image: docker pull ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest
    • Create docker-compose.yml with port 18789 bound to localhost only.
  3. 03

    Configure your AI provider and channels

    Wire your API key and connect messaging channels before starting the gateway.

    • Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or OPENAI_API_KEY in the container environment.
    • Configure Telegram bot token or Discord bot token for channel access.
    • Create a gateway auth token for secure remote access.
  4. 04

    Run behind Nginx with automatic SSL

    Keep the gateway bound to localhost and route public traffic through Nginx with Let's Encrypt or Caddy.

    • Install Nginx and configure a reverse proxy pointing to 127.0.0.1:18789.
    • Use Certbot or Caddy for automatic HTTPS certificate provisioning.
    • Point your domain A record to the VPS IP before requesting the certificate.
  5. 05

    Set up systemd and backups

    Make the gateway auto-start on boot and back up the critical state directory.

    • Create a systemd service file for the Docker Compose stack with Restart=always.
    • Back up ~/openclaw/ daily: this contains all config, credentials, and session data.
    • Test a restore before treating the server as production.

Where RepoAssistant fits

OpenClaw deployment takes 20 minutes if you know Linux. RepoAssistant does it for you: VPS, Docker, SSL, channels, and handover: fixed price.

Primary sources