OpenClaw Cloud Hosting: Everything You Need to Know

Cloud hosting is the most practical way to run OpenClaw for most users and teams. It provides the reliability of always-on infrastructure, the accessibility of a public URL, and the flexibility to scale resources as your usage grows. But "cloud hosting" is a broad term that covers everything from a single container on a PaaS to a multi-region Kubernetes deployment. This guide covers what you need to know to make the right infrastructure decisions for your OpenClaw instance.

What Cloud Hosting Means for OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a Node.js application that acts as a gateway between you and AI model providers. It maintains persistent state (configuration, credentials, conversation history, workspace files) and serves both HTTP and WebSocket connections. When we talk about cloud hosting OpenClaw, we mean running this application on someone else's servers with a persistent internet connection, a public URL, and durable storage.

The key characteristics that distinguish OpenClaw from a typical web application are:

• Long-lived WebSocket connections: The coding assistant maintains persistent connections. Your hosting environment must support WebSocket upgrades.
• External API dependency: AI inference happens via outbound HTTPS calls to model providers. Latency to these APIs affects response times.
• Persistent state on disk: Configuration, tokens, and workspace data must survive container restarts and redeployments.
• Low compute, variable bandwidth: The application is lightweight, but AI interactions generate substantial network traffic.

Cloud Provider Options

Railway

Railway is a platform-as-a-service designed for deploying containerized applications with minimal configuration. It handles builds, deployments, networking, TLS, and scaling.

Why it works well for OpenClaw: Railway supports Docker-based deployments with persistent volumes, automatic TLS, and WebSocket connections out of the box. The SimpleOpenClaw template is purpose-built for Railway and provides one-click deployment. Monthly infrastructure costs start around $5 for a single-user instance.

Considerations: Railway's free tier has limitations on execution hours and resources. For production use, a Pro plan is recommended. Regional availability is growing but more limited than the hyperscale providers.

DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean offers both managed container hosting (App Platform) and traditional VPS instances (Droplets). Either approach works for OpenClaw.

App Platform: Similar to Railway in concept. Deploy from a Docker image, attach a persistent volume, and DigitalOcean manages the rest. Pricing starts around $5/month for a basic container. WebSocket support is included.

Droplets: A Linux VPS where you have full control. Provision a $6/month Droplet, install Node.js, clone OpenClaw, and configure a reverse proxy. More setup work but more flexibility.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS offers multiple services suitable for hosting OpenClaw, each at a different level of abstraction.

ECS Fargate: Serverless container hosting. Define a task with your OpenClaw Docker image, attach an EFS volume for persistent storage, and place it behind an Application Load Balancer. Cost-effective but requires familiarity with AWS networking.

EC2 / Lightsail: Full VM control (EC2) or simplified VPS hosting (Lightsail, starting at $3.50/month). Useful if your organization already operates on AWS.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Cloud Run: Serverless container platform with automatic scaling and WebSocket support. Cost-efficient for intermittent usage, though scaling to zero introduces cold starts.

Compute Engine: GCP's VM offering with full control and predictable pricing through committed use discounts.

Microsoft Azure

Azure Container Instances (ACI): Quick container deployment without managing VMs. Attach Azure Files for persistent storage. Azure App Service is an alternative managed PaaS with built-in TLS and deployment slots.

Infrastructure Requirements

Regardless of which cloud provider you choose, your OpenClaw instance needs the following.

Compute

• CPU: 1 vCPU is sufficient. The gateway spends most time waiting for AI API responses.
• Memory: 512 MB minimum, 1 GB recommended for concurrent WebSocket connections.
• Architecture: x86_64 or ARM64 (e.g., AWS Graviton, often cheaper).

Storage

• Type: Persistent block storage or network-attached filesystem that survives container restarts.
• Size: 1 GB is adequate for most single-user deployments; teams may need more.
• Performance: Standard SSD is sufficient. Access patterns are light.

Networking

• TLS termination: Most PaaS providers handle this automatically. On a VPS, use Caddy or Nginx with Let's Encrypt.
• WebSocket support: Your load balancer or PaaS must support WebSocket upgrades.
• Outbound HTTPS: The server must reach AI provider APIs without firewall restrictions.

Security Considerations

Running an AI coding assistant in the cloud introduces security concerns that deserve explicit attention.

API Key Management

Your AI provider API keys grant access to paid services and, if leaked, can result in significant financial exposure.

• Never commit API keys to source control. Use environment variables or secrets management.
• Set provider-side spending limits as a safety net against unexpected usage.
• Rotate keys periodically, especially if you suspect exposure.
• Scope keys appropriately. Use the narrowest permissions that support your usage.

On Railway, environment variables are encrypted at rest and injected at runtime. SimpleOpenClaw configures API keys through environment variables rather than files on the volume.

Network Isolation and Data

• Restrict management access. The setup wizard at /setup is password-protected, but consider additional network-level restrictions (security groups, firewall rules).
• Use TLS everywhere. Do not run OpenClaw over plain HTTP in production.
• Encrypt data at rest. Conversation history and workspace files live on the persistent volume. Ensure your cloud provider encrypts volumes at rest.
• Understand data flow. Code context is sent to AI providers for inference. Review your provider's data retention and training policies.

Scaling Strategies

Most individual users and small teams will never need to scale beyond a single instance. But if your usage grows, here are the strategies available.

Vertical Scaling

The simplest approach: give your instance more CPU and memory. This works well up to the point where a single Node.js process becomes the bottleneck, which is unlikely for most OpenClaw workloads since the application is I/O-bound (waiting for AI API responses).

On Railway, vertical scaling means selecting a larger resource plan. On a VPS, it means resizing to a larger instance type.

Multiple Instances

For teams where different groups need isolated environments, deploy separate OpenClaw instances rather than trying to scale a single one horizontally. Each instance gets its own configuration, workspace, and API keys, providing natural isolation without shared-state complexity.

Cost Management in the Cloud

Cloud hosting costs for OpenClaw fall into two categories: predictable and variable.

Predictable costs include compute instances, storage volumes, and fixed platform fees. These remain relatively stable month to month and are easy to budget for. A single-user OpenClaw instance typically costs $5-15/month in infrastructure.

Variable costs are dominated by AI API usage, which scales with how much you use the assistant and which models you select. These can range from $10/month for light usage to $200+/month for heavy team usage with frontier models.

Cost Management Practices

• Set AI provider spending limits before you start. This is the single most important cost control measure.
• Monitor usage weekly during your first month to establish a baseline.
• Use the right model tier for each task. Not everything needs the most expensive model.
• Review cloud provider billing dashboards for unexpected charges (bandwidth overages, snapshot costs, etc.).
• Consider reserved or committed pricing if your cloud provider offers discounts for longer commitments and you know your usage will persist.

Getting Started: The Fastest Path to Cloud-Hosted OpenClaw

If you have read this far and want the quickest way to get OpenClaw running in the cloud, SimpleOpenClaw on Railway is the recommended starting point. Here is why:

1. One-click deployment: The Railway template handles the Docker build, container orchestration, and networking configuration.
2. Guided setup: A web-based wizard walks you through AI provider configuration and channel setup after deployment.
3. Automatic TLS: Railway assigns a public HTTPS domain with automatic certificate management.
4. Persistent storage: Attach a Railway volume at /data and your configuration and workspace survive redeployments.
5. No platform markup: You bring your own API keys and pay your AI provider directly at their published rates.
6. Open source: The entire template is open source. You can inspect, modify, and migrate at any time.

The process takes about five minutes from start to a working instance. From there, you have a fully functional cloud-hosted OpenClaw deployment that you control completely, running on professional infrastructure, at a fraction of the cost of managed alternatives.

If your needs outgrow Railway, the same Docker container runs on any cloud provider. The knowledge and configuration you build are portable because there is no vendor lock-in at the application layer.

Cloud hosting an AI coding assistant does not need to be complicated or expensive. Start with the simplest approach that meets your requirements, and scale only when you have evidence that you need to.