OpenClaw Reverse Proxy Checklist

A reverse proxy is not optional polish for OpenClaw. It is the clean boundary between a local service and a public endpoint, and it is where a lot of preventable mistakes either get fixed or exposed.

Updated 4 Apr 2026 1 min read Ron

On this page

Why it matters
Checklist
Mistakes to avoid
Next step

Why it matters

The reverse proxy handles HTTPS, routing, and the public face of the service so the underlying gateway can stay private and simple.

Where we host this site

The plan behind Hosting Notes

Same 4 GB VPS and LiteSpeed stack we benchmark in these guides.

See Hostinger plans

Checklist

Bind OpenClaw to localhost
Expose only 80/443 publicly
Terminate TLS at Caddy or Nginx
Confirm headers and upstream target are correct

Mistakes to avoid

Leaving the raw gateway port public
Skipping HTTP to HTTPS redirects
Assuming local bind and public bind are the same thing

Next step

Once the proxy is in place, finish with firewall and service hardening.

Ron

Infrastructure writer & self-hosting practitioner

I run production sites and small VPS boxes for a living — WordPress, Docker, reverse proxies and the backups that save you at 2am. Everything here is written from setups I actually maintain.

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