What do I need to deploy OpenClaw on a VPS?

You need a VPS (starting at $4-6/month), SSH access, and the app code in a GitHub repo. For OpenClaw and VPS, you also need environment variables, a domain, and SSL configured before going live.

How long does it take to deploy to a VPS?

A straightforward OpenClaw deployment takes 2-4 hours for someone familiar with servers. RepoAssistant does it in 24h with a ship-or-refund guarantee.

How much does it cost to host OpenClaw on a VPS?

A VPS for OpenClaw or VPS starts at $4-6/month for a 1-2 GB instance from providers like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Hostinger. RepoAssistant's deploy service is a fixed $39-149 one-time fee.

What if something breaks after deployment?

Every deployment includes a smoke test (login, forms, database writes, API calls) and a handover doc with restart, rollback, and deploy commands. If the app is blocked pre-launch, we fix and ship within 24h or refund.

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.

Published June 6, 2026·by RepoAssistant Team

Docker OpenClaw VPS

What is probably broken in your OpenClaw app

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.

What production should look like for OpenClaw

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 OpenClaw 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 your OpenClaw 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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