How to Install OpenClaw on a Server with Docker

Running OpenClaw on a server gives you 24/7 availability without tying up your local machine. Docker makes this straightforward. Here's the complete guide.

What You Need

• A Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04+ recommended)
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• A domain or subdomain pointing to your server (optional but recommended)
• At least 4 GB RAM on the server

Step 1 — Install Docker

SSH into your server and install Docker:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu
newgrp docker

Verify Docker is installed:

docker --version
docker compose version

Step 2 — Create the OpenClaw Directory

Create a directory to store OpenClaw data:

mkdir -p ~/openclaw
cd ~/openclaw

Step 3 — Create the Docker Compose File

Create a file named docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "18789:18789"   # Gateway
      - "18792:18792"   # Web UI
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
      - ./config:/app/config
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - GATEWAY_PORT=18789
      - UI_PORT=18792

Step 4 — Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d

Check if it's running:

docker compose logs -f

Step 5 — Access Remotely

To access the UI from outside the server, you need a reverse proxy. Install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx -y

Create an Nginx config for OpenClaw:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/openclaw

Paste this config (replace your-domain.com with your actual domain):

server {
    listen 80;

location / { proxy_pass http://localhost:18792; proxy_http_version 1.1; proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade; proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade"; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; } } ```

Enable the site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/openclaw /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 6 — Secure with SSL (Let's Encrypt)

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

Follow the prompts. Certbot will automatically configure HTTPS.

Step 7 — Update OpenClaw

To update to the latest version:

cd ~/openclaw
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Data Location

Your OpenClaw data is stored in the ./data directory on the host. Back it up regularly:

tar -czf openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/openclaw/data

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

Check logs:

docker compose logs

Out of memory

Edit docker-compose.yml and add memory limit:

services:
  openclaw:
    mem_limit: 4g

Then restart:

docker compose up -d

What's Next?

Once OpenClaw is running on your server, connect channels like Telegram or Discord for 24/7 availability. Set up the Tailscale integration for secure remote access without exposing ports.

Full documentation at https://docs.openclaw.ai