OpenClaw VPS
Self-host OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that answers you on WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord, on your own VPS. EasyNode installs it with a protected dashboard, so it runs 24/7 without you touching Node.js, systemd or a firewall.
Included for free on every VPS. From $8.90/mo, billed monthly. Paid in crypto or by card. No KYC.
OpenClaw VPS in 30 seconds
What you get
A VPS with OpenClaw installed and its dashboard reachable behind a login. Your credentials are in your Nodefolio: sign in, connect a model and pair your chat apps.
Price
OpenClaw costs nothing extra. You pay for the VPS only, from $8.90/mo for 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM, monthly, with no 24-month prepayment.
Official requirements
1 vCPU, 1 GB of RAM and about 500 MB of disk minimum, 2 GB of RAM or more recommended. The Starter plan has four times that.
Payment and privacy
Pay in crypto or by card, no identity check. Your agent, its memory and your API keys live on your own server.
What is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted gateway that connects your chat apps to AI agents. It was created by Peter Steinberger, first released in November 2025 and renamed OpenClaw in January 2026 after the Clawdbot and Moltbot names. It is now developed by the independent OpenClaw Foundation, under the MIT license.
A single gateway process serves Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, Microsoft Teams, Matrix and many more channels. The agent can run shell commands, read and edit files, search and browse the web, launch sub-agents and run scheduled automations. Skills and plugins extend it, from ClawHub, npm or git.
OpenClaw works with more than 70 model providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Codex, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI and OpenRouter, as well as local models through Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM or llama.cpp. With more than 390,000 GitHub stars in October 2026, it is the most popular self-hosted agent.
Why run OpenClaw on a VPS?
24/7 reliability
The OpenClaw docs recommend a VPS for round-the-clock uptime. On a laptop, the agent stops every time the lid closes.
Isolation
A dedicated machine is recommended for reliability and isolation. An agent with shell access should not share a computer with your wallets and personal accounts.
No Mac mini needed
OpenClaw runs on Linux. The gateway is light because the models run in the cloud, so a small VPS does the job of a home server.
Close to your users
Choose among 6 regions: Europe, UK, US, Japan, Australia and India, to keep latency low with your chat apps and APIs.
OpenClaw hosting compared
Prices read on the providers’ own pages on October 31, 2026.
| Offer | Specs | Price | Billing | Crypto, no KYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EasyNode Starter | 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB SSD | $8.90/mo | Monthly | Yes |
| EasyNode Pro | 8 vCPU / 24 GB / 300 GB SSD | $22.90/mo | Monthly | Yes |
| DigitalOcean 1-Click OpenClaw | Depends on the Droplet | From $12/mo | Monthly | No |
| Hostinger OpenClaw VPS KVM 1 | 1 vCPU / 4 GB / 50 GB | $6.49/mo promo, $11.99/mo on renewal | 24 months upfront | No |
All EasyNode plans include full root access, unlimited bandwidth and DDoS protection. See every VPS plan.
How to install OpenClaw on a VPS yourself
The official guide for an Ubuntu 24.04 server boils down to six steps:
- Update the server and install Node.js 24 or later.
- Install OpenClaw with
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard. - Create a dedicated non-root user, enable lingering with
loginctl enable-lingerand switch to that user. - Run
openclaw onboard --install-daemon: it picks your model provider, tests it and installs a systemd service. - Add 2 GB of swap on small servers to avoid out-of-memory errors.
- Check with
openclaw statusand reach the dashboard on port 18789 through an SSH tunnel or Tailscale, never directly on the internet.
Run it yourself or with EasyNode
Same agent, two ways to get there.
- Manually: rent a server, install Node.js, create a dedicated user, run onboarding, add swap, set up a tunnel or a reverse proxy with authentication, then follow every release and security advisory.
- With EasyNode: pick a VPS, tick OpenClaw in the add-ons, pay in crypto or by card. OpenClaw is installed with a password-protected dashboard. You sign in and connect your model and channels.
Keep your OpenClaw agent safe
OpenClaw can act on the machine it runs on, so its own security guide insists on a few rules:
- Keep the gateway bound to loopback, or protect it with a token or a password if it listens on a network.
- Treat every inbound message as untrusted. Sandboxing is off by default: enable the Docker or Podman backend for tools.
- Approve unknown contacts with pairing codes (
openclaw pairing approve) instead of opening your agent to everyone. - Run
openclaw security auditand keep one trust boundary per gateway. - Update quickly: a high-severity remote code execution flaw (CVE-2026-25253) was fixed in February 2026.
OpenClaw or Hermes Agent?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and built around a resident gateway with the widest choice of channels and model providers. Hermes Agent, by Nous Research, is written in Python and focuses on a self-improving loop with searchable memory and skills it writes itself.
You do not have to choose: both are included for free on every EasyNode VPS. Read more on our Hermes Agent VPS page.
OpenClaw VPS FAQ
Do I need a Mac mini to run OpenClaw?
No. OpenClaw runs on Linux, macOS or Windows with WSL2, and a small VPS is the setup the docs recommend for 24/7 use.
How much RAM does OpenClaw need?
At least 1 GB, and 2 GB or more is recommended. The EasyNode Starter plan has 8 GB.
Can I use my ChatGPT subscription?
Yes, OpenClaw supports signing in with OpenAI Codex. You can also use API keys from Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter and others.
Can I run local models?
Yes, through Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM or llama.cpp. The docs warn that small models handle long context poorly and resist prompt injection less well.
Is OpenClaw free?
Yes, it is open source under the MIT license. You pay for the server and for the model API you use.
Do I need KYC to rent the VPS?
No. EasyNode does not ask for any identity verification. You pay in crypto or by card.
Official OpenClaw links
Information checked against official OpenClaw sources and provider pages on October 31, 2026.