Self-Hosting
Last updated: February 16, 2026
Self-hosting means running software on infrastructure that you own and operate, whether that is a physical server in a data center, a virtual private server (VPS), or even a machine in your home. You maintain full control over the hardware, operating system, networking, and application configuration. The trade-off is that you also bear full responsibility for uptime, security, updates, and backups.
How It Works
In a self-hosted setup, you provision a server, install the operating system, configure networking and firewalls, and deploy the application yourself. Most modern self-hosted applications are distributed as Docker images, which simplifies dependency management but still requires you to handle container orchestration, persistent storage, SSL termination, and domain configuration.
Ongoing maintenance includes applying OS and application security patches, monitoring disk usage and system health, managing backups, and responding to outages. Many self-hosters use automation tools like Ansible, systemd services, or cron jobs to reduce the manual effort, but the operational burden is significantly higher than with managed hosting. You are your own operations team.
Self-hosting can run on a wide range of hardware: from a Raspberry Pi for lightweight services, to a dedicated rack server for production workloads, to a VPS from providers like Hetzner or DigitalOcean for a balance of control and convenience.
Why It Matters
Self-hosting is the right choice when data sovereignty, privacy, or cost control are top priorities. Running an AI assistant on your own infrastructure means that conversation data, API keys, and workspace files never leave hardware you control. This matters for organizations handling sensitive data or operating under strict compliance requirements.
For AI assistants like OpenClaw, self-hosting also allows deep customization -- you can pin specific software versions, configure resource limits precisely, and integrate with internal systems that are not accessible from public cloud environments. The cost can also be lower at scale, since you avoid per-usage cloud fees, though this must be weighed against the time and expertise required to maintain the infrastructure.