#Where to install OpenClaw?

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

shut wigeon
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Hey all,
How are others installing OpenClaw? I’ve deployed my setup in the cloud and connect via the browser. I’m wondering what other alternatives people are using. I’m a bit worried about safety if I deploy it on my laptop.

halcyon drumBOT
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desert tartanBOT
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Cloud + browser is a pretty common and reasonable setup, especially if you want it always-on and don’t want the assistant living next to all your laptop files/browser state.

The main patterns I see/recommend:

  1. VPS/cloud Gateway — good default for always-on chat access. Keep it locked down, use Gateway auth, don’t expose random ports publicly, and run openclaw security audit after config changes.
  2. Laptop/local Gateway — best if you want local files/apps/browser automation. Safety tradeoff: it has access to more personal context, so use a separate OS user/browser profile if you’re nervous, keep tool access narrow, and don’t let untrusted people message a tool-enabled agent.
  3. Hybrid — Gateway in the cloud, plus a paired local node/laptop only when you explicitly need local capabilities. This is often the nicest split: always-on control plane, local power only when needed.
  4. Container/Docker — useful if you want a cleaner boundary, though you still need to be careful with mounted volumes, published ports, and credentials.

My opinion: if safety is the concern, your cloud setup is probably the right baseline. Only move it onto the laptop when you actually need local files/browser/device access, and then isolate it: dedicated user/profile, least tools, allowlisted senders, and regular openclaw security audit.

Docs that are worth reading:
https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security
https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/setup
https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/docker

And since you asked “what are others doing”, you may also want to ask in #users-helping-users for more real-world user setups/war stories.

shut wigeon
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@desert tartan do you have any data based on your chats what are other common ways?

desert tartanBOT
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I don’t have clean aggregate stats, and I wouldn’t treat my chat history as a real dataset anyway — lots of it is biased toward people who hit setup issues.

Anecdotally from public support/help patterns, the common buckets seem to be:

  1. VPS/cloud Gateway + browser/chat access — very common for always-on use. People like it because it keeps running when the laptop is closed.
  2. Mac/local install — common for personal assistant use, especially when people want local browser/files/apps. This is also where the safety questions matter most.
  3. Source/dev checkout — common among builders/contributors who want latest changes or custom patches.
  4. Hybrid cloud Gateway + local node — increasingly the setup I’d recommend for cautious power users: cloud is always-on, laptop capabilities are opt-in/local.
  5. Docker/container — used, but feels more “I know why I want this” than the default path. Good boundary, but mounted volumes/ports still decide the actual safety.

My read: for your concern, cloud-first + maybe add a local node later is the safest practical shape. It avoids giving the assistant broad laptop access until you have a specific local task that justifies it.

shut wigeon
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Source/dev checkout whats this @desert tartan ?

desert tartanBOT
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“Source/dev checkout” means running OpenClaw directly from the GitHub repo instead of only using the packaged install/app.

Roughly:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm openclaw setup
pnpm gateway:watch

That’s mostly for people who want to:

  • test latest unreleased fixes
  • develop OpenClaw itself
  • patch/debug something locally
  • run a bleeding-edge Gateway while the app/browser connects to it
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For most normal users, I would not start there. Use the regular install/onboarding path unless you specifically need latest source or are contributing.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/setup

shut wigeon
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@desert tartan VPS/cloud Gateway + browser/chat access. what sort of cloud others using?

desert tartanBOT
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Anecdotally: mostly plain Linux VPSes, not fancy managed cloud.

Common choices I’ve seen people talk about/use:

  • Hetzner / OVH / DigitalOcean / Linode / Vultr-style VPS — cheap Ubuntu box, systemd service, browser/chat connects back to it.
  • AWS / GCP / Azure small VM — usually if they already have company/cloud infra there.
  • Home server / mini PC — “cloud-like” always-on box, but physically at home.
  • Docker on a VPS/NAS — for people who already run everything containerized.

I don’t have real aggregate numbers from chats, so treat that as support-channel vibes, not statistics.

For OpenClaw specifically, I’d bias toward: small Ubuntu VPS, single dedicated user, firewall locked down, Gateway auth enabled, no broad public ports, and openclaw security audit after setup.

If you want the boring reliable version: Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 on a cheap VPS is the least surprising path. Fancy Kubernetes/serverless is overkill for a personal assistant Gateway.

shut wigeon
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does "openclaw security audit" do any infra checks? @desert tartan

desert tartanBOT
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Yes, but only some infra checks — think “OpenClaw exposure/security posture”, not a full cloud hardening scanner.

It checks things like:

  • Gateway bind/auth exposure (loopback vs LAN/public-ish binds, missing/weak auth)
  • Tailscale Serve/Funnel exposure
  • browser/remote CDP exposure
  • open Discord/Slack/etc rooms combined with powerful tools like exec/files
  • filesystem permissions around config/state/credentials
  • plugin/skill safety posture
  • with --deep, a best-effort live Gateway probe

It does not replace VPS/cloud checks like:

  • cloud firewall/security group correctness
  • SSH hardening
  • OS patching
  • Docker published-port behavior in all cases
  • reverse proxy/TLS correctness
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  • provider IAM/access policies

So on a VPS I’d run both layers:

openclaw security audit --deep
openclaw status --all

…and separately verify your provider firewall/security group only exposes what you intend. Important one: if Docker is involved, don’t trust UFW alone; Docker published ports can bypass normal INPUT rules, so use DOCKER-USER/provider firewall too.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security

shut wigeon
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what is this method Hybrid cloud Gateway + local node @desert tartan ?

desert tartanBOT
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Hybrid means: the always-on brain runs in the cloud, but your laptop can temporarily act as a capability machine.

So instead of installing the full assistant on your laptop as the main setup:

  • Cloud/VPS Gateway: owns sessions, chat connections, memory, Control UI, etc. Always online.
  • Local node on laptop: connects/pairs to that Gateway and exposes selected local capabilities — usually browser control, maybe files/commands depending on what you allow.

Why people like it:

  • Your assistant stays reachable 24/7 from browser/chat.
  • Your laptop doesn’t need to be the main always-on server.
  • You only involve the laptop when you need laptop-only stuff: local browser profile, local files, local apps, screen/browser automation, etc.

Safety mental model: once paired, a node is trusted operator-level access to that machine. So treat it like admin-ish access, not like a harmless viewer.

Best-practice shape:

  • keep Gateway + node on a private tailnet/VPN like Tailscale
  • pair the node intentionally