---
summary: "Run OpenClaw Gateway 24/7 on an Azure Linux VM with durable state"
read_when:
  - You want OpenClaw running 24/7 on Azure with Network Security Group hardening
  - You want a production-grade, always-on OpenClaw Gateway on your own Azure Linux VM
  - You want secure administration with Azure Bastion SSH
title: "Azure"
---

# OpenClaw on Azure Linux VM

This guide sets up an Azure Linux VM with the Azure CLI, applies Network Security Group (NSG) hardening, configures Azure Bastion for SSH access, and installs OpenClaw.

## What you will do

- Create Azure networking (VNet, subnets, NSG) and compute resources with the Azure CLI
- Apply Network Security Group rules so VM SSH is allowed only from Azure Bastion
- Use Azure Bastion for SSH access (no public IP on the VM)
- Install OpenClaw with the installer script
- Verify the Gateway

## What you need

- An Azure subscription with permission to create compute and network resources
- Azure CLI installed (see [Azure CLI install steps](https://learn.microsoft.com/cli/azure/install-azure-cli) if needed)
- An SSH key pair (the guide covers generating one if needed)
- ~20-30 minutes

## Configure deployment

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to Azure CLI">
    ```bash
    az login
    az extension add -n ssh
    ```

    The `ssh` extension is required for Azure Bastion native SSH tunneling.

  </Step>

  <Step title="Register required resource providers (one-time)">
    ```bash
    az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Compute
    az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Network
    ```

    Verify registration. Wait until both show `Registered`.

    ```bash
    az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Compute --query registrationState -o tsv
    az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Network --query registrationState -o tsv
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Set deployment variables">
    ```bash
    RG="rg-openclaw"
    LOCATION="westus2"
    VNET_NAME="vnet-openclaw"
    VNET_PREFIX="10.40.0.0/16"
    VM_SUBNET_NAME="snet-openclaw-vm"
    VM_SUBNET_PREFIX="10.40.2.0/24"
    BASTION_SUBNET_PREFIX="10.40.1.0/26"
    NSG_NAME="nsg-openclaw-vm"
    VM_NAME="vm-openclaw"
    ADMIN_USERNAME="openclaw"
    BASTION_NAME="bas-openclaw"
    BASTION_PIP_NAME="pip-openclaw-bastion"
    ```

    Adjust names and CIDR ranges to fit your environment. The Bastion subnet must be at least `/26`.

  </Step>

  <Step title="Select SSH key">
    Use your existing public key if you have one:

    ```bash
    SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
    ```

    If you don't have an SSH key yet, generate one:

    ```bash
    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
    SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Select VM size and OS disk size">
    ```bash
    VM_SIZE="Standard_B2as_v2"
    OS_DISK_SIZE_GB=64
    ```

    Choose a VM size and OS disk size available in your subscription and region:

    - Start smaller for light usage and scale up later
    - Use more vCPU/RAM/disk for heavier automation, more channels, or larger model/tool workloads
    - If a VM size is unavailable in your region or subscription quota, pick the closest available SKU

    List VM sizes available in your target region:

    ```bash
    az vm list-skus --location "${LOCATION}" --resource-type virtualMachines -o table
    ```

    Check your current vCPU and disk usage/quota:

    ```bash
    az vm list-usage --location "${LOCATION}" -o table
    ```

  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deploy Azure resources

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the resource group">
    ```bash
    az group create -n "${RG}" -l "${LOCATION}"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the network security group">
    Create the NSG and add rules so only the Bastion subnet can SSH into the VM.

    ```bash
    az network nsg create \
      -g "${RG}" -n "${NSG_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}"

    # Allow SSH from the Bastion subnet only
    az network nsg rule create \
      -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
      -n AllowSshFromBastionSubnet --priority 100 \
      --access Allow --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
      --source-address-prefixes "${BASTION_SUBNET_PREFIX}" \
      --destination-port-ranges 22

    # Deny SSH from the public internet
    az network nsg rule create \
      -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
      -n DenyInternetSsh --priority 110 \
      --access Deny --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
      --source-address-prefixes Internet \
      --destination-port-ranges 22

    # Deny SSH from other VNet sources
    az network nsg rule create \
      -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
      -n DenyVnetSsh --priority 120 \
      --access Deny --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
      --source-address-prefixes VirtualNetwork \
      --destination-port-ranges 22
    ```

    The rules are evaluated by priority (lowest number first): Bastion traffic is allowed at 100, then all other SSH is blocked at 110 and 120.

  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the virtual network and subnets">
    Create the VNet with the VM subnet (NSG attached), then add the Bastion subnet.

    ```bash
    az network vnet create \
      -g "${RG}" -n "${VNET_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
      --address-prefixes "${VNET_PREFIX}" \
      --subnet-name "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" \
      --subnet-prefixes "${VM_SUBNET_PREFIX}"

    # Attach the NSG to the VM subnet
    az network vnet subnet update \
      -g "${RG}" --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
      -n "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" --nsg "${NSG_NAME}"

    # AzureBastionSubnet — name is required by Azure
    az network vnet subnet create \
      -g "${RG}" --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
      -n AzureBastionSubnet \
      --address-prefixes "${BASTION_SUBNET_PREFIX}"
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the VM">
    The VM has no public IP. SSH access is exclusively through Azure Bastion.

    ```bash
    az vm create \
      -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
      --image "Canonical:ubuntu-24_04-lts:server:latest" \
      --size "${VM_SIZE}" \
      --os-disk-size-gb "${OS_DISK_SIZE_GB}" \
      --storage-sku StandardSSD_LRS \
      --admin-username "${ADMIN_USERNAME}" \
      --ssh-key-values "${SSH_PUB_KEY}" \
      --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
      --subnet "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" \
      --public-ip-address "" \
      --nsg ""
    ```

    `--public-ip-address ""` prevents a public IP from being assigned. `--nsg ""` skips creating a per-NIC NSG (the subnet-level NSG handles security).

    **Reproducibility:** The command above uses `latest` for the Ubuntu image. To pin a specific version, list available versions and replace `latest`:

    ```bash
    az vm image list \
      --publisher Canonical --offer ubuntu-24_04-lts \
      --sku server --all -o table
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Azure Bastion">
    Azure Bastion provides managed SSH access to the VM without exposing a public IP. Standard SKU with tunneling is required for CLI-based `az network bastion ssh`.

    ```bash
    az network public-ip create \
      -g "${RG}" -n "${BASTION_PIP_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
      --sku Standard --allocation-method Static

    az network bastion create \
      -g "${RG}" -n "${BASTION_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
      --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
      --public-ip-address "${BASTION_PIP_NAME}" \
      --sku Standard --enable-tunneling true
    ```

    Bastion provisioning typically takes 5-10 minutes but can take up to 15-30 minutes in some regions.

  </Step>
</Steps>

## Install OpenClaw

<Steps>
  <Step title="SSH into the VM through Azure Bastion">
    ```bash
    VM_ID="$(az vm show -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}" --query id -o tsv)"

    az network bastion ssh \
      --name "${BASTION_NAME}" \
      --resource-group "${RG}" \
      --target-resource-id "${VM_ID}" \
      --auth-type ssh-key \
      --username "${ADMIN_USERNAME}" \
      --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Install OpenClaw (in the VM shell)">
    ```bash
    curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh -o /tmp/install.sh
    bash /tmp/install.sh
    rm -f /tmp/install.sh
    ```

    The installer installs Node LTS and dependencies if not already present, installs OpenClaw, and launches the onboarding wizard. See [Install](/install) for details.

  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the Gateway">
    After onboarding completes:

    ```bash
    openclaw gateway status
    ```

    Most enterprise Azure teams already have GitHub Copilot licenses. If that is your case, we recommend choosing the GitHub Copilot provider in the OpenClaw onboarding wizard. See [GitHub Copilot provider](/providers/github-copilot).

  </Step>
</Steps>

## Cost considerations

Azure Bastion Standard SKU runs approximately **\$140/month** and the VM (Standard_B2as_v2) runs approximately **\$55/month**.

To reduce costs:

- **Deallocate the VM** when not in use (stops compute billing; disk charges remain). The OpenClaw Gateway will not be reachable while the VM is deallocated — restart it when you need it live again:

  ```bash
  az vm deallocate -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}"
  az vm start -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}"   # restart later
  ```

- **Delete Bastion when not needed** and recreate it when you need SSH access. Bastion is the largest cost component and takes only a few minutes to provision.
- **Use the Basic Bastion SKU** (~\$38/month) if you only need Portal-based SSH and don't require CLI tunneling (`az network bastion ssh`).

## Cleanup

To delete all resources created by this guide:

```bash
az group delete -n "${RG}" --yes --no-wait
```

This removes the resource group and everything inside it (VM, VNet, NSG, Bastion, public IP).

## Next steps

- Set up messaging channels: [Channels](/channels)
- Pair local devices as nodes: [Nodes](/nodes)
- Configure the Gateway: [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration)
- For more details on OpenClaw Azure deployment with the GitHub Copilot model provider: [OpenClaw on Azure with GitHub Copilot](https://github.com/johnsonshi/openclaw-azure-github-copilot)

## Related

- [Install overview](/install)
- [GCP](/install/gcp)
- [DigitalOcean](/install/digitalocean)
