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OpenClaw on a VPS: Always-On Setup Guide (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Railway, etc.)

Hosting guide.

Always-on OpenClaw on a VPS. Secure setup guide for DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Railway and similar providers.

By Liyam Flexer, Founder & EditorPublished Last reviewed
At a glance
Type
Guide
Topics
OpenClaw, VPS hosting, DigitalOcean
Evidence
Editorial interpretation
Written by
Liyam Flexer

The short answer

Deploy an always-on OpenClaw Gateway on a $5–$15/month Linux VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Railway) by installing Node.js 26 and the OpenClaw package via the official shell script. Enable the systemd background daemon, configure SSH key-only access, bind the Control UI to localhost or a private Tailscale VPN, and connect cloud or remote model endpoints.

A small VPS keeps OpenClaw running 24/7 without relying on your laptop.

  • Choose a provider with good uptime and simple firewall controls (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.).
  • Use a minimal Linux image.
  • Install OpenClaw via the official script.
  • Run the Gateway as a system service.
  • Restrict the Control UI to localhost or a VPN; do not expose it publicly.
  • Use SSH keys only and keep the system updated.
  • Set up basic monitoring and automatic restarts.

Cost is typically $5–15/month for light-to-moderate use. Pair with a strong cloud model or a local model if the VPS has enough resources.

Evidence in this article Editorial interpretation Our reading of what the evidence means. Judgment, clearly separated from the evidence itself.

Frequently asked questions

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

A minimal 2GB–4GB RAM Linux VPS costs approximately $5–$15 per month and easily handles the Gateway daemon and background automations.

How do I secure the OpenClaw Control UI on a VPS?

Bind the dashboard port to localhost (127.0.0.1) and access it via an SSH tunnel or a private Tailscale/WireGuard VPN, never exposing it to the open web.

Can a small VPS run local AI models?

Basic 8B models can run on CPU VPS instances with slow generation; 70B+ models require dedicated GPU instances or connections to cloud APIs.

Sources

  1. OpenClaw Deployment Guides OpenClaw Foundation, accessed .
  2. Hetzner Cloud Documentation Hetzner, accessed .