How to Install OpenClaw on a VPS (Step-by-Step Guide)

Most people run OpenClaw on their laptop — and it works fine, until the laptop closes. A VPS changes that completely. Your agent stays online around the clock, responds to messages while you sleep, and runs automations on schedule without you touching anything. For $5–6 a month, it's one of the most reliable ways to run a personal AI agent.

If you'd rather not deal with servers at all, Ampere.sh handles the entire setup — hosting, updates, and maintenance — so you get all the benefits of a VPS without managing one yourself. But if you want full control and want to set it up yourself, this guide walks you through every step.

Choosing the Right VPS for OpenClaw

Any Linux VPS with at least 1GB RAM works. Here's a quick comparison of popular options:

Provider

Price

RAM

Best For

DigitalOcean

$6/mo

1 GB

Beginners, great docs

Vultr

$5/mo

1 GB

Speed, global locations

Hetzner

€3.79/mo

2 GB

Best value (2× RAM)

Linode / Akamai

$5/mo

1 GB

Reliability, stability

Ampere.sh

Managed

Auto

No setup, fully managed

TL;DR: For the best value, go with Hetzner (€3.79/mo, 2GB RAM). For zero setup and full management, use Ampere.sh. For easiest DIY setup as a beginner, choose DigitalOcean.

VPS Requirements for OpenClaw

What You'll Need

•A VPS running Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 LTS or Debian 11 / 12 — minimum 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 GB SSD. DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, or Linode all work
•Node.js 22+ — installed via NodeSource (the default apt version is too old)
•An API key from an AI provider — Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT-4o), or Google Gemini
•An account on your preferred messaging platform — Telegram is the easiest to start with on a VPS
•SSH access to your VPS — either password or key-based (key-based recommended)

How to Install OpenClaw on a VPS (Step by Step)

Follow these steps in order. The entire process takes about 10–15 minutes on a fresh VPS.

Step 1: Connect to Your VPS via SSH

Open a terminal on your local machine and connect to your VPS:

ssh root@your-vps-ip-address

# Example
ssh root@167.99.123.45

Terminal showing SSH connection to a Linux VPS server

Step 2: Create a Non-Root User and Harden SSH

Running OpenClaw as root is a security risk. Create a dedicated user, grant sudo access, and disable root/password SSH login:

# Create a new user (replace "openclaw" with any username)
adduser openclaw

# Grant sudo privileges
usermod -aG sudo openclaw

# Switch to the new user
su - openclaw

Then harden your SSH config to block brute-force attacks and root login:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Set these two values:
PasswordAuthentication no
PermitRootLogin no

# Save and restart SSH (keep your current session open)
sudo systemctl restart ssh

Important: Make sure you have SSH key access set up before disabling password authentication — otherwise you'll lock yourself out.

Step 3: Update Your VPS

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl wget git

VPS terminal showing apt update and upgrade running successfully

Step 4: Install Node.js 22+ via NodeSource

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22 or higher. Use NodeSource to install it — the default apt version is too old:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

# Verify
node --version   # Should show v22.x.x or higher
npm --version

VPS terminal showing Node.js 22 installation via NodeSource

Step 5: Run the OpenClaw Installer

curl -fsSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

After the installer finishes, reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc
openclaw --version

OpenClaw installer running on VPS with successful version confirmation

Check the gateway binding: After install, run openclaw gateway status and verify the gateway is bound to 127.0.0.1:18789 — not 0.0.0.0:18789. If it shows 0.0.0.0, the dashboard is publicly accessible without authentication. Fix it by running openclaw configure and selecting Local (this machine) for gateway binding.

Step 6: Run the Onboarding Wizard

openclaw onboard

Accept the security advisory — select "Yes, I understand"
Choose QuickStart for safe defaults
Select your AI provider (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or others)
Enter your AI provider API key
Skip skills for now — you can add skills later
Enable bash shell completion when prompted

Step 7: Connect a Messaging Channel

Option A: Telegram

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
Send /newbot and follow the prompts to create a bot
Copy the bot token BotFather gives you
Run: openclaw connect telegram — paste the token when prompted
Your agent is now live on Telegram

Option B: WhatsApp

Run: openclaw connect whatsapp
Scan the QR code with WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device

Step 8: Enable Auto-Start with systemd

This keeps OpenClaw running 24/7 — even after SSH disconnects or server reboots:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# Verify it's running
systemctl status openclaw

You should see Active: active (running). Your agent is now live around the clock.

Step 9: Secure Your VPS with UFW Firewall

Block the OpenClaw dashboard from public internet access and rate-limit SSH to slow down brute-force attempts:

sudo apt install -y ufw

# Block all incoming by default
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

# Allow SSH with rate limiting (blocks IPs after 6 attempts in 30s)
sudo ufw limit 22/tcp

# Block dashboard port from the internet
sudo ufw deny 18789

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Accessing the Dashboard via SSH Tunnel

Since port 18789 is blocked externally, access the dashboard securely from your local machine using an SSH tunnel:

# Run this on your LOCAL machine (not the VPS)
ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 openclaw@your-vps-ip

# Flags explained:
# -N   Don't execute remote commands, just forward the port
# -L   Forward local port 18789 to remote 127.0.0.1:18789

Keep that terminal open, then open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:18789

Keep that terminal open — the tunnel must stay active for the dashboard to remain accessible.

Testing, Securing, and Troubleshooting Your OpenClaw Setup

Testing Your Installation

Once installed, verify everything is working correctly before connecting a messaging channel:

# Check OpenClaw version
openclaw --version

# Check gateway status and binding
openclaw gateway status

# Run built-in diagnostics (checks config, connectivity, API key)
openclaw doctor

The openclaw doctor command automatically identifies and fixes the most common configuration issues — run it any time something isn't working as expected.

Securing Your OpenClaw Setup

A few essential checks to make sure your VPS-hosted agent is locked down:

Verify gateway binding

Run openclaw gateway status and confirm the gateway shows 127.0.0.1:18789 — not 0.0.0.0:18789. If it shows 0.0.0.0, your dashboard is exposed to the public internet without authentication.

Confirm UFW is active

Run sudo ufw status verbose to confirm port 18789 is blocked and SSH is rate-limited. Never expose the dashboard port to the public internet.

Keep API keys private

Your AI provider API keys are stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. Never commit this file to version control or share it publicly. For a full hardening checklist, see the OpenClaw security guide.

Disable root SSH login

Confirm PermitRootLogin no is set in /etc/ssh/sshd_config. Log in only as a non-root user with sudo — never as root over SSH.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Installer fails or hangs midway

This usually happens on low-RAM VPS instances (under 512MB) or when the interactive UI fails to load. Use the --no-gum flag to bypass the UI:

curl -fsSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash -s -- --no-gum

Out of memory errors during install

Upgrade to at least 1GB RAM, or add a temporary swap file:

sudo fallocate -l 1G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

openclaw: command not found

Reload your shell after install — the PATH update isn't applied to the current session automatically:

source ~/.bashrc

OpenClaw stops after closing SSH

This means the systemd daemon isn't installed. Run openclaw onboard --install-daemon to register OpenClaw as a service, then confirm with systemctl status openclaw.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Linux OS should I use on my VPS for OpenClaw?

Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS is the most popular choice — wide community support, easy Node.js setup via NodeSource, and full systemd support. Debian 11 or 12 is also a great option. Avoid CentOS 7 (end of life).

How much RAM does my VPS need to run OpenClaw?

Minimum 512MB RAM, but 1GB is strongly recommended. Most $4–6/month VPS plans (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, Hetzner) include 1GB RAM — more than enough for a personal OpenClaw agent.

Can I run OpenClaw on a free VPS?

Yes — Oracle Cloud Free Tier offers a VPS with 1GB RAM that works well with OpenClaw. AWS Free Tier and Google Cloud Free Tier also work but have bandwidth/compute limits. Oracle is the most reliable free option.

Will OpenClaw keep running after I close my SSH session?

Yes — once you run 'openclaw onboard --install-daemon', OpenClaw registers as a systemd service and runs 24/7 in the background, even after SSH disconnects and server reboots.

How do I access the OpenClaw dashboard on a VPS?

The dashboard runs on port 18789. Access it via SSH tunnel: ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 user@your-vps-ip, then open http://localhost:18789 in your local browser. Never expose port 18789 to the public internet.

Can I run multiple OpenClaw agents on one VPS?

Yes — each instance uses a different port and config directory. On a 2GB RAM VPS you can comfortably run 2–3 agents for different channels or AI providers.

How do I update OpenClaw on my VPS?

SSH into your VPS and run 'openclaw update', or re-run the installer: curl -fsSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash. Then restart the service: sudo systemctl restart openclaw.

Is it safe to run OpenClaw on a public VPS?

Yes, if you follow basic security steps: disable root login, use SSH keys, block port 18789 with UFW, and keep your system updated. See the OpenClaw security guide for a full hardening checklist.

Skip the VPS Setup — Let Ampere.sh Handle It

Don't want to manage a server? Ampere.sh deploys and maintains your OpenClaw agent in the cloud — no VPS, no terminal, no maintenance required.

Try Ampere.sh