VPS Deployment

Deploy OpenClaw on your own virtual private server for full control and reliable integrations.

Why VPS?

Choose a VPS Provider

Provider Comparison

Recommended Specifications

Minimum Requirements

• 1 vCPU
• 1GB RAM
• 20GB SSD
• Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12

Recommended

• 2 vCPU
• 2GB RAM
• 40GB NVMe SSD
• Ubuntu 24.04

Deployment Steps

ssh root@your-server-ip

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

version: '3.8'
 
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key
      - TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-telegram-token  # Optional
      - SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=your-slack-token        # Optional
      - DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your-discord-token    # Optional
    volumes:
      - openclaw-data:/root/.clawdbot
 
volumes:
  openclaw-data:

docker compose up -d

docker logs openclaw
curl http://localhost:8080

Secure Access with Cloudflare Tunnel

Instead of opening ports directly, use Cloudflare Tunnel for secure access.

curl -L --output cloudflared.deb https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb
dpkg -i cloudflared.deb

cloudflared tunnel login

cloudflared tunnel create openclaw

tunnel: <your-tunnel-id>
credentials-file: /root/.cloudflared/<tunnel-id>.json
 
ingress:
  - hostname: ai.yourdomain.com
    service: http://localhost:8080
  - service: http_status:404

cloudflared tunnel route dns openclaw ai.yourdomain.com

cloudflared service install
systemctl start cloudflared
systemctl enable cloudflared

See Cloudflare Tunnel Guide for detailed instructions.

Messaging Integration Setup

Telegram

1. Message @BotFather  on Telegram
2. Create a new bot with /newbot
3. Copy the bot token
4. Add to docker-compose.yml or environment

docker exec openclaw clawdbot config set telegram.botToken YOUR_TOKEN
docker restart openclaw

Slack

1. Create app at api.slack.com/apps 
2. Enable Socket Mode (recommended for VPS)
3. Add bot scopes: chat:write, channels:history, im:history
4. Install to workspace
5. Copy Bot Token and App Token

docker exec openclaw clawdbot config set slack.botToken xoxb-YOUR-TOKEN
docker exec openclaw clawdbot config set slack.appToken xapp-YOUR-TOKEN
docker restart openclaw

Discord

1. Create app at discord.com/developers 
2. Create a bot and copy the token
3. Add bot to your server with appropriate permissions

docker exec openclaw clawdbot config set discord.botToken YOUR_TOKEN
docker restart openclaw

Security Hardening

After deployment, consider these security improvements:

Change SSH Port

# Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Port 2222  # Change from 22
 
systemctl restart sshd

Set Up Firewall

ufw allow 2222/tcp  # SSH (if changed)
ufw allow 8080/tcp  # OpenClaw (or skip if using Tunnel)
ufw enable

Install Fail2ban

apt install fail2ban
systemctl enable fail2ban

Use SSH Keys

# On your local machine
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub root@your-server-ip
 
# Then disable password auth in /etc/ssh/sshd_config
PasswordAuthentication no

Backup Strategy

Enable automatic backups with your VPS provider (usually $1-2/month extra).

For manual backups:

# Backup OpenClaw data
docker run --rm -v openclaw-data:/data -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /data

Cost Summary