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openclaw/docs/vps.md

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---
summary: "Run OpenClaw on a Linux server or cloud VPS — provider picker, architecture, and tuning"
read_when:
- You want to run the Gateway on a Linux server or cloud VPS
- You need a quick map of hosting guides
- You want generic Linux server tuning for OpenClaw
title: "Linux Server"
sidebarTitle: "Linux Server"
---
# Linux Server
Run the OpenClaw Gateway on any Linux server or cloud VPS. This page helps you
pick a provider, explains how cloud deployments work, and covers generic Linux
tuning that applies everywhere.
## Pick a provider
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Railway" href="/install/railway">One-click, browser setup</Card>
<Card title="Northflank" href="/install/northflank">One-click, browser setup</Card>
<Card title="DigitalOcean" href="/install/digitalocean">Simple paid VPS</Card>
<Card title="Oracle Cloud" href="/install/oracle">Always Free ARM tier</Card>
<Card title="Fly.io" href="/install/fly">Fly Machines</Card>
<Card title="Hetzner" href="/install/hetzner">Docker on Hetzner VPS</Card>
<Card title="GCP" href="/install/gcp">Compute Engine</Card>
<Card title="Azure" href="/install/azure">Linux VM</Card>
<Card title="exe.dev" href="/install/exe-dev">VM with HTTPS proxy</Card>
<Card title="Raspberry Pi" href="/install/raspberry-pi">ARM self-hosted</Card>
</CardGroup>
**AWS (EC2 / Lightsail / free tier)** also works well.
A community video walkthrough is available at
[x.com/techfrenAJ/status/2014934471095812547](https://x.com/techfrenAJ/status/2014934471095812547)
(community resource -- may become unavailable).
## How cloud setups work
- The **Gateway runs on the VPS** and owns state + workspace.
- You connect from your laptop or phone via the **Control UI** or **Tailscale/SSH**.
- Treat the VPS as the source of truth and **back up** the state + workspace regularly.
- Secure default: keep the Gateway on loopback and access it via SSH tunnel or Tailscale Serve.
If you bind to `lan` or `tailnet`, require `gateway.auth.token` or `gateway.auth.password`.
Related pages: [Gateway remote access](/gateway/remote), [Platforms hub](/platforms).
## Shared company agent on a VPS
Running a single agent for a team is a valid setup when every user is in the same trust boundary and the agent is business-only.
- Keep it on a dedicated runtime (VPS/VM/container + dedicated OS user/accounts).
- Do not sign that runtime into personal Apple/Google accounts or personal browser/password-manager profiles.
- If users are adversarial to each other, split by gateway/host/OS user.
Security model details: [Security](/gateway/security).
## Using nodes with a VPS
You can keep the Gateway in the cloud and pair **nodes** on your local devices
(Mac/iOS/Android/headless). Nodes provide local screen/camera/canvas and `system.run`
capabilities while the Gateway stays in the cloud.
Docs: [Nodes](/nodes), [Nodes CLI](/cli/nodes).
## Startup tuning for small VMs and ARM hosts
If CLI commands feel slow on low-power VMs (or ARM hosts), enable Node's module compile cache:
```bash
grep -q 'NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache' ~/.bashrc || cat >> ~/.bashrc <<'EOF'
export NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
mkdir -p /var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
export OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
EOF
source ~/.bashrc
```
- `NODE_COMPILE_CACHE` improves repeated command startup times.
- `OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1` avoids extra startup overhead from a self-respawn path.
- First command run warms the cache; subsequent runs are faster.
- For Raspberry Pi specifics, see [Raspberry Pi](/install/raspberry-pi).
### systemd tuning checklist (optional)
For VM hosts using `systemd`, consider:
- Add service env for a stable startup path:
- `OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1`
- `NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache`
- Keep restart behavior explicit:
- `Restart=always`
- `RestartSec=2`
- `TimeoutStartSec=90`
- Prefer SSD-backed disks for state/cache paths to reduce random-I/O cold-start penalties.
Example:
```bash
sudo systemctl edit openclaw
```
```ini
[Service]
Environment=OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
Environment=NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
Restart=always
RestartSec=2
TimeoutStartSec=90
```
How `Restart=` policies help automated recovery:
[systemd can automate service recovery](https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/systemd-automate-recovery).