How to Install OpenClaw on a VPS: Complete Guide

Introduction

Setting up OpenClaw on a VPS gives you full control over your AI chatbot deployment. This guide walks you through the complete installation process on a Linux VPS.

OpenClaw (formerly known as Clawd.bot and briefly Moltbot) is a powerful, self-hosted AI agent framework with autonomous capabilities, persistent memory, and a skills system.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

A VPS with at least 2GB RAM and 2 CPU cores
Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12 installed
Root or sudo access
A domain name (optional but recommended)

Step 1: Update Your Server

First, update your server's package list and upgrade existing packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install essential tools:

sudo apt install -y curl wget git build-essential

Step 2: Install Node.js

OpenClaw requires Node.js 18 or higher. Install it using the NodeSource repository:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Verify the installation:

node --version
npm --version

Step 3: Install Git

sudo apt install git -y

Step 4: Clone OpenClaw

Navigate to your preferred directory and clone the repository:

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/nicepkg/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

Step 5: Install Dependencies

sudo npm install

Step 6: Configure Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file and edit it:

sudo cp .env.example .env
sudo nano .env

Configure your API keys and settings:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Your Anthropic API key
DISCORD_TOKEN - Your Discord bot token (if using Discord)
BOT_PREFIX - Command prefix (default: !)

Step 7: Set Up PM2 for Process Management

Install PM2 globally to keep your bot running:

sudo npm install -g pm2
pm2 start index.js --name openclaw
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Step 8: Configure Firewall

Allow necessary ports through your firewall:

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Step 9: Security Hardening

Create a dedicated user

sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false openclaw
sudo chown -R openclaw:openclaw /opt/openclaw

Verification

Check that your bot is running:

pm2 status
pm2 logs openclaw

Next Steps

Now that OpenClaw is installed, you should:

Need Help?

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