How to Install OpenClaw on an Ubuntu VPS Safely

Who this is for

This guide is for anyone setting up OpenClaw on a fresh Ubuntu VPS (like DigitalOcean, Hostinger, or Hetzner). It is specifically designed to get you running safely without exposing your server to the public internet right away.

Prerequisites

• A fresh Ubuntu VPS (22.04 or 24.04).
• A non-root user with sudo privileges. If you haven’t done this, complete the Fresh Ubuntu VPS Setup guide first.
• Node.js v24 or later installed.
• SSH access to your server.

Installation Steps

1. Update your system packages

   Always start by making sure your VPS has the latest security updates.

   1 sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Verify Node.js installation

   OpenClaw requires a recent version of Node.js.

   1 node -v

   Expected output

   v24.x.x

3. Install OpenClaw globally

   Now, install the OpenClaw CLI using npm. The -g flag installs it globally so you can run it from anywhere.

   1 npm install -g openclaw-cli

4. Initialize your workspace

   Create a dedicated folder for your OpenClaw config. Keeping things organized helps with troubleshooting later.

   1 mkdir ~/openclaw-workspace && cd ~/openclaw-workspace\nopenclaw init

   Expected output

   Workspace initialized successfully in /home/user/openclaw-workspace

5. Start the Gateway safely

   Start the OpenClaw Gateway. By default, it will listen on localhost:18789. Do not change this to 0.0.0.0 unless you know exactly what you are doing.

   1 openclaw start

   Expected output

   [OK] OpenClaw Gateway running on http://127.0.0.1:18789

Bad Output / Common Mistakes

• EACCES error during install: This happens if you try to npm install -g without the right permissions. Never use sudo npm install -g. Instead, use nvm or configure your npm prefix.
• Gateway crashing on startup: Usually means port 18789 is already in use, or your Node version is too old. Run openclaw doctor to diagnose.

Rollback / Undo

If you need to uninstall OpenClaw completely, you can do so by removing the global npm package and deleting the workspace directory:

Next steps and when to ask for help

Once OpenClaw is running on localhost, you can safely access the dashboard using an SSH tunnel or a private network like Tailscale. Do not modify UFW to open port 18789 directly.

If you are stuck on permission errors, Node.js issues, or the Gateway keeps crashing, use the Setup Help service. We can help you audit your setup without asking for any raw secrets or root passwords.

Sources

• OpenClaw Docs - Getting Started: https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/getting-started (Checked on 2026-06-03)
• OpenClaw Docs - Security: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security (Checked on 2026-06-03)