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Platforms overview

DigitalOcean

Goal​

Run a persistent OpenClaw Gateway on DigitalOcean for **6/month∗∗(or6/month** (or 6/month∗∗(or4/mo with reserved pricing). If you want a $0/month option and don’t mind ARM + provider-specific setup, see the Oracle Cloud guide.

Cost Comparison (2026)​

ProviderPlanSpecsPrice/moNotes
Oracle CloudAlways Free ARMup to 4 OCPU, 24GB RAM$0ARM, limited capacity / signup quirks
HetznerCX222 vCPU, 4GB RAM€3.79 (~$4)Cheapest paid option
DigitalOceanBasic1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$6Easy UI, good docs
VultrCloud Compute1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$6Many locations
LinodeNanode1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$5Now part of Akamai

Picking a provider:

  • DigitalOcean: simplest UX + predictable setup (this guide)
  • Hetzner: good price/perf (see Hetzner guide)
  • Oracle Cloud: can be $0/month, but is more finicky and ARM-only (see Oracle guide)

Prerequisites​

1) Create a Droplet​

⚠️ Use a clean base image (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS). Avoid third-party Marketplace 1-click images unless you have reviewed their startup scripts and firewall defaults.

  1. Log into DigitalOcean
  2. Click Create → Droplets
  3. Choose:
    • Region: Closest to you (or your users)
    • Image: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
    • Size: Basic → Regular → $6/mo (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB SSD)
    • Authentication: SSH key (recommended) or password
  4. Click Create Droplet
  5. Note the IP address

2) Connect via SSH​

ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP

3) Install OpenClaw​

# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install Node.js 22
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
apt install -y nodejs

# Install OpenClaw
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Verify
openclaw --version

4) Run Onboarding​

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will walk you through:

  • Model auth (API keys or OAuth)
  • Channel setup (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, etc.)
  • Gateway token (auto-generated)
  • Daemon installation (systemd)

5) Verify the Gateway​

# Check status
openclaw status

# Check service
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service

# View logs
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -f

6) Access the Dashboard​

The gateway binds to loopback by default. To access the Control UI: Option A: SSH Tunnel (recommended)

# From your local machine
ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP

# Then open: http://localhost:18789

Option B: Tailscale Serve (HTTPS, loopback-only)

# On the droplet
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
tailscale up

# Configure Gateway to use Tailscale Serve
openclaw config set gateway.tailscale.mode serve
openclaw gateway restart

Open: https:/// Notes:

  • Serve keeps the Gateway loopback-only and authenticates Control UI/WebSocket traffic via Tailscale identity headers (tokenless auth assumes trusted gateway host; HTTP APIs still require token/password).
  • To require token/password instead, set gateway.auth.allowTailscale: false or use gateway.auth.mode: "password".

Option C: Tailnet bind (no Serve)

openclaw config set gateway.bind tailnet
openclaw gateway restart

Open: http://<tailscale-ip>:18789 (token required).

7) Connect Your Channels​

Telegram​

openclaw pairing list telegram
openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>

WhatsApp​

openclaw channels login whatsapp
# Scan QR code

See Channels for other providers.

Optimizations for 1GB RAM​

The $6 droplet only has 1GB RAM. To keep things running smoothly:

fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
chmod 600 /swapfile
mkswap /swapfile
swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' >> /etc/fstab

Use a lighter model​

If you’re hitting OOMs, consider:

  • Using API-based models (Claude, GPT) instead of local models
  • Setting agents.defaults.model.primary to a smaller model

Monitor memory​

free -h
htop

Persistence​

All state lives in:

  • ~/.openclaw/ — config, credentials, session data
  • ~/.openclaw/workspace/ — workspace (SOUL.md, memory, etc.)

These survive reboots. Back them up periodically:

tar -czvf openclaw-backup.tar.gz ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw/workspace

Oracle Cloud Free Alternative​

Oracle Cloud offers Always Free ARM instances that are significantly more powerful than any paid option here — for $0/month.

What you getSpecs
4 OCPUsARM Ampere A1
24GB RAMMore than enough
200GB storageBlock volume
Forever freeNo credit card charges

Caveats:

  • Signup can be finicky (retry if it fails)
  • ARM architecture — most things work, but some binaries need ARM builds

For the full setup guide, see Oracle Cloud. For signup tips and troubleshooting the enrollment process, see this community guide.

Troubleshooting​

Gateway won’t start​

openclaw gateway status
openclaw doctor --non-interactive
journalctl -u openclaw --no-pager -n 50

Port already in use​

lsof -i :18789
kill <PID>

Out of memory​

# Check memory
free -h

# Add more swap
# Or upgrade to $12/mo droplet (2GB RAM)

See Also​

iOS AppOracle Cloud