How to Install OpenClaw on Ubuntu VPS

Best for

24/7 agent operations and long-running automations.

1) Harden the host first

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo adduser claw
sudo usermod -aG sudo claw

Use SSH keys, disable password auth, enable firewall before public exposure.

2) Install runtime dependencies

sudo apt install -y git curl build-essential python3 python3-pip
# install Node LTS (example)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
node -v && npm -v

3) Install OpenClaw and verify

openclaw --help
openclaw status

4) Configure environment

Store model keys and required runtime config in secure env files.

5) Verify gateway/service lifecycle

openclaw gateway status
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

6) Sanity test

Run one low-risk task and confirm logs/output.

Failure modes

service won’t start: bad env variables or missing dependency
cron drift: incorrect timezone/clock sync
tool failures: OS permissions/network egress limits

Recovery ladder

check service status
check environment vars
run minimal test task
restart gateway
roll back recent config changes