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openclaw/docs/install/oracle.md

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---
summary: "Host OpenClaw on Oracle Cloud's Always Free ARM tier"
read_when:
- Setting up OpenClaw on Oracle Cloud
- Looking for free VPS hosting for OpenClaw
- Want 24/7 OpenClaw on a small server
title: "Oracle Cloud"
---
# Oracle Cloud
Run a persistent OpenClaw Gateway on Oracle Cloud's **Always Free** ARM tier (up to 4 OCPU, 24 GB RAM, 200 GB storage) at no cost.
## Prerequisites
- Oracle Cloud account ([signup](https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/)) -- see [community signup guide](https://gist.github.com/rssnyder/51e3cfedd730e7dd5f4a816143b25dbd) if you hit issues
- Tailscale account (free at [tailscale.com](https://tailscale.com))
- An SSH key pair
- About 30 minutes
## Setup
<Steps>
<Step title="Create an OCI instance">
1. Log into [Oracle Cloud Console](https://cloud.oracle.com/).
2. Navigate to **Compute > Instances > Create Instance**.
3. Configure:
- **Name:** `openclaw`
- **Image:** Ubuntu 24.04 (aarch64)
- **Shape:** `VM.Standard.A1.Flex` (Ampere ARM)
- **OCPUs:** 2 (or up to 4)
- **Memory:** 12 GB (or up to 24 GB)
- **Boot volume:** 50 GB (up to 200 GB free)
- **SSH key:** Add your public key
4. Click **Create** and note the public IP address.
<Tip>
If instance creation fails with "Out of capacity", try a different availability domain or retry later. Free tier capacity is limited.
</Tip>
</Step>
<Step title="Connect and update the system">
```bash
ssh ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y build-essential
```
`build-essential` is required for ARM compilation of some dependencies.
</Step>
<Step title="Configure user and hostname">
```bash
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname openclaw
sudo passwd ubuntu
sudo loginctl enable-linger ubuntu
```
Enabling linger keeps user services running after logout.
</Step>
<Step title="Install Tailscale">
```bash
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=openclaw
```
From now on, connect via Tailscale: `ssh ubuntu@openclaw`.
</Step>
<Step title="Install OpenClaw">
```bash
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
```
When prompted "How do you want to hatch your bot?", select **Do this later**.
</Step>
<Step title="Configure the gateway">
Use token auth with Tailscale Serve for secure remote access.
```bash
openclaw config set gateway.bind loopback
openclaw config set gateway.auth.mode token
openclaw doctor --generate-gateway-token
openclaw config set gateway.tailscale.mode serve
openclaw config set gateway.trustedProxies '["127.0.0.1"]'
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway
```
</Step>
<Step title="Lock down VCN security">
Block all traffic except Tailscale at the network edge:
1. Go to **Networking > Virtual Cloud Networks** in the OCI Console.
2. Click your VCN, then **Security Lists > Default Security List**.
3. **Remove** all ingress rules except `0.0.0.0/0 UDP 41641` (Tailscale).
4. Keep default egress rules (allow all outbound).
This blocks SSH on port 22, HTTP, HTTPS, and everything else at the network edge. You can only connect via Tailscale from this point on.
</Step>
<Step title="Verify">
```bash
openclaw --version
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway
tailscale serve status
curl http://localhost:18789
```
Access the Control UI from any device on your tailnet:
```
https://openclaw.<tailnet-name>.ts.net/
```
Replace `<tailnet-name>` with your tailnet name (visible in `tailscale status`).
</Step>
</Steps>
## Fallback: SSH tunnel
If Tailscale Serve is not working, use an SSH tunnel from your local machine:
```bash
ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 ubuntu@openclaw
```
Then open `http://localhost:18789`.
## Troubleshooting
**Instance creation fails ("Out of capacity")** -- Free tier ARM instances are popular. Try a different availability domain or retry during off-peak hours.
**Tailscale will not connect** -- Run `sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=openclaw --reset` to re-authenticate.
**Gateway will not start** -- Run `openclaw doctor --non-interactive` and check logs with `journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -n 50`.
**ARM binary issues** -- Most npm packages work on ARM64. For native binaries, look for `linux-arm64` or `aarch64` releases. Verify architecture with `uname -m`.
## Next steps
- [Channels](/channels) -- connect Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and more
- [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration) -- all config options
- [Updating](/install/updating) -- keep OpenClaw up to date