Linux Server

Which Distribution?

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Recommended): Most documentation, largest community, 5-year support.
Debian 12: More stable, lighter, good for minimal installs.
CentOS Stream / Rocky / Alma: RHEL-compatible, enterprise-focused.
Alpine: Ultra-minimal, great for containers but requires more Linux knowledge.

Hardware Options

Intel NUC / Mini PC (~$200-400): Compact, low power, perfect for always-on.
Old laptop: Free if you have one, but higher power use and potential fan noise.
Old desktop: More powerful but louder and uses more power.
Server hardware: Overkill for OpenClaw, but if you have it, why not?

Storage Choice

SSD is strongly recommended over HDD. Docker image pulls and container startup are significantly faster on SSD. A 120GB SSD is plenty - you can find them for under $20.

Security Hardening

Essential security steps: Use SSH keys (not passwords), change default SSH port, set up fail2ban, configure ufw firewall, keep system updated. For remote access, Cloudflare Tunnel is more secure than opening ports directly.

Headless vs Desktop

For a dedicated server, use a minimal/server install without a desktop environment. This saves 500MB+ RAM and reduces attack surface. You'll manage everything via SSH - which is actually easier for server administration.

Step 1: Install Docker

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

# Add current user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Apply group changes (or log out and back in)
newgrp docker

# Install Docker
sudo dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

# Start Docker
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

# Add current user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Step 2: Verify Docker installation

docker run hello-world

You should see "Hello from Docker!" if everything is working.

Step 3: Create OpenClaw directory

mkdir -p ~/openclaw && cd ~/openclaw

Step 4: Create docker-compose.yml

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
      - GATEWAY_TOKEN=${GATEWAY_TOKEN}
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
EOF

Step 5: Create .env file

cat > .env << EOF
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-your-key-here
GATEWAY_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
EOF

Replace sk-or-your-key-here with your actual BYOK provider API key.

Step 6: Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d

OpenClaw will be available at http://localhost:8080 or http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080

Option A: Caddy (Easiest)

# Install Caddy
sudo apt install -y caddy

# Configure Caddy
sudo cat > /etc/caddy/Caddyfile << 'EOF'
your-domain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}
EOF

# Restart Caddy
sudo systemctl restart caddy

Caddy automatically handles SSL certificates with Let's Encrypt.