Run OpenClaw on a Hostinger VPS (Step-by-Step)

Updated: 2026-03-22 • Category: VPS / OpenClaw

What this guide covers

• Picking a VPS plan that will not feel cramped
• Getting a secure baseline (SSH, firewall, updates)
• Installing OpenClaw and keeping it running (systemd)
• Exposing OpenClaw safely (HTTPS reverse proxy)
• Common gotchas (ports, restarts, logs)

Before you start (5-minute checklist)

• You can SSH into the VPS as a sudo user
• You know your public IP (so you can lock down SSH)
• You have a domain ready (optional, but nicer)
• You have 30 minutes without distractions

Recommended baseline VPS specs

OpenClaw is not heavy by itself, but you want headroom for tools, logs, and occasional browser automation.

• Minimum: 1 vCPU / 2GB RAM (testing)
• Comfortable: 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM (most people)
• Roomy: 2–4 vCPU / 8GB RAM (more agents / more concurrency)

Step 1: create a user + lock down SSH

If you already harden servers daily, skip this section. If you do not, do it anyway. It is the cheapest security win you will ever buy.

# create a non-root user
sudo adduser claw
sudo usermod -aG sudo claw

# add your SSH public key
sudo -u claw mkdir -p /home/claw/.ssh
sudo -u claw chmod 700 /home/claw/.ssh
sudo -u claw nano /home/claw/.ssh/authorized_keys
sudo -u claw chmod 600 /home/claw/.ssh/authorized_keys

Then edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PermitRootLogin no
PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart ssh
sudo systemctl status ssh --no-pager

Pitfall: do not close your current SSH session until you confirm you can log in in a fresh session with the new user + key.

(This article continues with firewall, OpenClaw install, systemd, and reverse proxy. The sidebar has the section links.)