How to install on Hostinger VPS on OpenClaw

OpenClaw requires at least 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended for better performance) and 10 GB disk space for Docker images and application data. The KVM2 plan ($5.99/mo) with 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, and 100 GB NVMe is the sweet spot for personal use. For team deployments or running local AI models via Ollama alongside OpenClaw, choose KVM4 or higher.

Hostinger also offers a one-click OpenClaw VPS template that pre-installs everything — if you prefer automated setup, select the OpenClaw template during checkout and skip to Step 5.

After purchasing, go to hPanel → VPS → Overview to find your server IP, SSH port (default 22), and root password. Connect from your terminal:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Enter the root password from hPanel. Once connected, update the system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

OpenClaw runs in Docker containers for isolation and easy updates. Install Docker with the official script:

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

Verify the installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

Both commands should return version numbers. Docker Compose v2 is included with modern Docker installations.

Create a directory for OpenClaw and set up the configuration:

mkdir -p ~/openclaw && cd ~/openclaw

Generate a secret key for the gateway:

openssl rand -base64 32 > .env
echo "OPENCLAW_SECRET=$(cat .env)" > .env

Create the docker-compose.yml:

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/gateway:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
EOF

Start the container:

docker compose up -d

Open an SSH tunnel to access the Control UI from your browser:

ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Then visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser. The onboarding wizard will guide you through:

• AI Provider: Enter your Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI API key, or use nexos.ai credits for multi-model access
• Messaging Apps: Connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or Slack
• Security: Set a gateway password for the Control UI
• Preferences: Configure language, timezone, and default behaviors

Set up UFW to allow only SSH traffic (OpenClaw stays on loopback):

ufw allow 22/tcp
ufw enable
ufw status

For extra security, change the default SSH port and disable password authentication in favor of SSH keys:

nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# Change: Port 2222
# Change: PasswordAuthentication no
systemctl restart sshd

Install Fail2Ban for brute-force protection:

apt install fail2ban -y
systemctl enable fail2ban

Keep OpenClaw updated with a simple cron job. Create an update script:

cat > ~/openclaw/update.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
cd ~/openclaw
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
docker image prune -f
EOF
chmod +x ~/openclaw/update.sh

Add a weekly cron job:

crontab -e
# Add: 0 4 * * 0 /root/openclaw/update.sh >> /root/openclaw/update.log 2>&1