OpenClaw self-hosted setup: what you need before you deploy

Most OpenClaw setup guides start at the deployment step. This one starts earlier — at the decision points that determine whether deployment goes smoothly or turns into an unplanned debugging session.

Before you provision anything, confirm your server meets the minimum resource requirements for OpenClaw to run stably. These numbers are conservative starting points — scale up if you expect concurrent workloads or heavy memory use from your agents.

• 2 vCPU minimum — 4 vCPU recommended for production workloads
• 4 GB RAM minimum — 8 GB recommended if running multiple agents simultaneously
• 40 GB SSD storage — more if you expect large file outputs or persistent agent memory
• A clean Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12 image (other distributions may require manual dependency adjustments)

OpenClaw needs outbound internet access and a small set of inbound ports open to work correctly. Overly restrictive firewalls are the most common reason a setup that looks correct on paper fails at runtime.

• Port 80 open for HTTP (used during TLS certificate provisioning)
• Port 443 open for HTTPS (the main application interface)
• Port 22 available if you are managing the server via SSH
• Unrestricted outbound access — OpenClaw makes external API calls at runtime

You will want a domain name pointed at your server before starting the deployment flow. OpenClaw sets up TLS automatically, but it needs DNS to resolve correctly first. Pointing your domain to the server IP and waiting for propagation before you begin saves a significant amount of time.

• An A record pointing your domain (or subdomain) to your server's public IP
• DNS propagation confirmed — use a tool like dnschecker.org to verify before proceeding
• A valid email address for TLS certificate registration

If you are provisioning a new server through Hetzner, you will also need a Hetzner account with an active API token. If you are connecting an existing VPS, have your server's public IP, SSH user, and SSH port available before starting.

If you want to skip the manual preparation work, ClawKickstart handles provisioning, firewall configuration, DNS verification, and deployment as part of the guided setup flow. You connect your server path and let the product manage the rest.