How to Run the Open-Source OpenClaw AI Assistant on a Low-Cost VPS

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OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted AI assistant that has gained over 380,000 GitHub stars in 2026 and can be reached through messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and Discord. The guide argues that a small virtual private server is a better host than a laptop, since it stays online around the clock and keeps the assistant's data on the user's own hardware. A basic setup needs only about 2 GB of RAM and a couple of vCPUs, because the heavy computation is handled by a hosted AI model provider. The walkthrough covers provisioning the server, locking down access with a firewall that exposes only SSH, installing Node and OpenClaw, and running a setup wizard to configure a model and messaging channels. It also recommends running OpenClaw as a systemd service so it survives logouts and reboots.

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