What is probably broken
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.
OpenClaw deployment guide
Deploy OpenClaw on a VPS and own your AI agent infrastructure
OpenClaw is the fastest-growing open-source AI agent framework with 247K+ GitHub stars. Self-hosting it on a VPS gives you 24/7 uptime, full data privacy, access across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Slack, and zero per-seat fees. This guide walks you from a blank Ubuntu server to a live OpenClaw gateway.
What production should look like
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.
STEP 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.
STEP 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.
STEP 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.
STEP 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.
STEP 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.
Quick check
Is your app production-ready?
If you cannot tick all five, we can fix it. Send us the repo and we handle the rest.
- ?Custom domain with HTTPS
- ?Environment variables configured
- ?Database wired and backed up
- ?Auto-deploy on push
- ?Smoke tested and live
Free checklist
Deploying this yourself?
Get the exact 5-step checklist we run before every deploy. No fluff, just the things that actually break.
Done-for-you deploy
OpenClaw deployment takes 20 minutes if you know Linux. RepoAssistant does it for you: VPS, Docker, SSL, channels, and handover: fixed price.
Fixed price per repo. 24h delivery or full refund. No hourly billing.
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