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

When I first heard about OpenClaw, I thought it was just another AI tool you run locally. After using it for a while, I realized it’s much more stable when deployed on a VPS — especially if you want 24/7 uptime, remote access, and long-running AI tasks.

In this article, I’ll walk through how I personally installed OpenClaw on a VPS, what resources you really need (not theoretical specs), and which VPS providers worked best for me after testing.

Why I Chose VPS Instead of Local Deployment

Running OpenClaw locally works for testing.
But after a few days of real usage, problems appear:

• Local PC sleep → service stops
• Network changes → remote access breaks
• Long jobs → unstable runtime
• GPU / RAM limits → performance drops

On VPS, everything is predictable. Once deployed, it just runs.

That’s why I moved OpenClaw to cloud infrastructure.

Minimum VPS Resource Requirements for OpenClaw

From my real usage experience, here’s what actually works:

Minimum (Testing Only)

• 1 vCPU
• 2GB RAM
• 40–50GB SSD
• Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 12

Recommended (Stable Daily Use)

• 2 vCPU
• 4GB RAM
• 50GB+ NVMe SSD
• 50Mbps+ bandwidth

If Running Heavy AI Tasks

• 4+ vCPU
• 8GB+ RAM

Storage speed matters more than people expect. NVMe noticeably improves model load time.

Step-by-Step: How I Installed OpenClaw on a VPS

Step 1 — Create the VPS

After testing several providers, I deployed using a standard Ubuntu server.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Make sure ports are open:

22 SSH
3000 / 8080 (App panel, depends on OpenClaw build)

Step 2 — Update System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3 — Install Base Dependencies

sudo apt install git curl docker.io docker-compose -y

Enable Docker:

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Step 4 — Download OpenClaw

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

Step 5 — Configure Environment

cp .env.example .env
nano .env

Set:

PORT=3000
DATA_PATH=/opt/openclaw/data

Step 6 — Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d

Step 7 — Access Web Panel

http://SERVER-IP:3000

VPS Providers I Tested (Real User Perspective)

Below are providers I actually tested or benchmarked during deployment.

1️⃣ LightNode

👉Visit LightNode OpenClaw VPS

What I Liked

• Hourly billing (great for testing OpenClaw builds)
• NVMe storage loads models fast
• Deploy server in ~2 minutes
• Stable network for API-based AI workflows

Downsides

• No free tier

For OpenClaw testing and short experiments, hourly billing is extremely useful. I used it when testing different container builds without paying full monthly cost.

2️⃣ DigitalOcean

👉Visit DigitalOcean VPS

Pros

• Very stable infrastructure
• Good documentation
• Simple UI

Cons

• Slightly more expensive than entry competitors
• No hourly micro flexibility like some providers

Great if you want predictable uptime and simple deployment.

3️⃣ Vultr

👉Visit Vultr

Pros

• Many global regions
• Fast instance provisioning
• Good price/performance balance

Cons

• UI sometimes confusing for beginners
• Support response depends on plan

Good middle ground option.

4️⃣ Hetzner Cloud

👉 Visit Hetzner

Pros

• Very strong CPU performance
• Extremely competitive pricing
• Stable EU network

Cons

• Fewer global regions
• Setup slightly more technical

If your users are mainly EU based, this is excellent.

Real Deployment Cost (My Monthly Reality)

Typical OpenClaw runtime cost for me:

Usage	Cost Range
Testing	$5–8
Daily Use	$10–20
Heavy AI workloads	$30+

Common Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t)

Not allocating enough RAM

2GB works but gets tight fast.

Ignoring storage speed

NVMe vs SATA is very noticeable for AI workloads.

Forgetting reverse proxy

Direct port exposure is risky. Use Nginx or Cloudflare Tunnel.

Security Setup I Recommend

Minimum:

• Change SSH port
• Disable password login
• Enable firewall
• Use reverse proxy

FAQ

What does OpenClaw do?

OpenClaw is typically used as a self-hosted AI agent or automation framework that can run continuously on a server. It can manage workflows, AI interactions, and background processing tasks depending on how it’s configured.

Is OpenClaw free?

Most OpenClaw builds are open-source or free to use.
However, you still pay for infrastructure like VPS hosting, storage, and network traffic.

Is OpenClaw safe?

If self-hosted and properly configured, it’s generally safe.
Security depends more on how you deploy it — firewall rules, authentication, and server hardening matter more than the software itself.

Who owns OpenClaw?

Ownership depends on the specific project or repository version you are using. Many OpenClaw implementations are community-driven or open-source maintained rather than owned by a single company.