The reality check
Why not just run it on your laptop?
It works locally. But in our experience, the moment you want reliability, a VPS wins. Here are four reasons we have seen laptop-hosted agents break down.
Your laptop sleeps
Close the lid, the agent dies. No more responses until you open it again. VPS agents never sleep, even at 3am.
Your IP changes
Switch from home Wi-Fi to a coffee shop and your public IP changes. Paired channels like WhatsApp can drop. A VPS has a static IP.
Travel kills uptime
On a flight? In a meeting? Your agent is offline. A VPS in a datacenter has 99.9% uptime regardless of where you are.
Unreliable uptime
macOS updates, power outages, battery dying. Any interruption stops the agent. A VPS with systemd auto-restarts on any failure.
Pick a provider
Provider comparison
Any Linux VPS with 2GB RAM works. We have tested all major providers. Here are the most popular options in the OpenClaw community, ranked by our recommendation.
The ansible installer
One command. Fully hardened server.
We recommend spinning up a Hostinger VPS and running the OpenClaw Ansible installer. It turns a fresh Debian/Ubuntu server into a production-ready, security-hardened OpenClaw deployment. No manual configuration needed.
UFW Firewall
Only SSH (port 22) and Tailscale (41641/udp) are exposed. Everything else is blocked.
Tailscale VPN
Gateway is only accessible through your private VPN mesh. Zero public attack surface.
Docker CE
Installed for agent sandbox containers. DOCKER-USER iptables chain prevents external port exposure.
Node.js 22
Latest LTS runtime with pnpm package manager. Production-ready from minute one.
Systemd Service
Auto-starts on boot. NoNewPrivileges, PrivateTmp, runs as unprivileged user.
Security Hardening
4-layer defense architecture. nmap your server and you will only see port 22.
Need a VPS? We recommend Hostinger. Spin up an Ubuntu server in under 2 minutes for $5/mo, then run the installer above.
Get Hostinger VPSDefense in depth
Four layers of security
Every VPS deploy we manage gets a security stack that would take hours to configure manually. The Ansible installer sets up all four layers automatically.
UFW Firewall
Only ports 22 (SSH) and 41641/udp (Tailscale) are open. All Docker-exposed ports are blocked by DOCKER-USER iptables chain.
Docker Isolation
Agent tools run in sandbox containers with capDrop ALL, read-only root, no network, unprivileged user, and process limits.
Tailscale VPN
Gateway binds to localhost. Tailscale Serve provides HTTPS routing. Only devices on your private mesh can reach the gateway.
Systemd Hardening
NoNewPrivileges=yes, PrivateTmp=yes, runs as dedicated openclaw user with restricted filesystem access.
Secure access
Tailscale: your private tunnel
Tailscale creates a private mesh VPN between your devices. Your Gateway stays invisible to the public internet, but you can reach it from your laptop, phone, or any device on your tailnet.
Why Tailscale?
- No port forwarding or firewall rules needed
- Works through NAT, across networks, even mobile data
- Free for personal use (up to 100 devices)
- Encrypted WireGuard tunnel, no exposed services
- Access your Gateway from iPhone, Mac, Android, anywhere
Local node pairing
Pair your phone to your cloud agent
Your Gateway runs in the cloud, but your Mac and iPhone connect as local nodes. The agent gets the best of both worlds: 24/7 cloud uptime with local device capabilities.
Gateway in the cloud
The brain runs on your VPS 24/7. It owns all channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord), manages sessions, stores memory, and processes every message.
Mac as a local node
Pair your MacBook so the agent can use your screen, run macOS-specific tools, and access apps that only exist locally. The Mac sleeps, the agent still works.
iPhone as a node
Pair your iPhone for camera access, location services, and on-device canvas. Send commands from your phone while the agent runs in the cloud.
How it works: Nodes connect via Tailscale to the Gateway WebSocket. The agent decides which node to use for each task. Screen capture on your Mac, conversation on WhatsApp, camera on your iPhone. All coordinated from the cloud. We walk through this setup in detail in the $19 workshop.
Cost comparison
The real cost of automation
SaaS automation platforms charge per task. In our experience, OpenClaw on a Hostinger VPS costs a flat monthly rate with no task limits and no feature gates.
OpenClaw on a VPS
~$10-20/MONTH TOTALOpenClaw does not charge per task. Your VPS runs unlimited operations. The only variable cost is your AI model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.), which scales with actual usage rather than artificial platform limits.
What happens next
The first 24 hours
After you run the installer, here is what unfolds.
SSH and run the installer
SSH into your VPS. Paste the one-liner. The Ansible playbook installs everything: Tailscale, Docker, Node, OpenClaw, systemd service. Go grab a coffee.
Onboarding wizard
The installer finishes and drops you into the onboarding wizard. Connect your AI model provider (Anthropic API key), name your agent, and configure your workspace.
Pair WhatsApp
Run 'openclaw channels login' and scan the QR code with your phone. Your agent is now reachable on WhatsApp. Send it a message. It replies.
Connect Tailscale
Run 'sudo tailscale up' and authenticate. Now you can access the Gateway dashboard from your laptop through an encrypted tunnel. No ports exposed.
Send commands from your phone
You are at a coffee shop. You message your agent on WhatsApp: 'Summarize the emails I got this morning.' It responds in seconds. The VPS never sleeps.
Agent heartbeat running
The systemd service has been up for a full day. Auto-restarted once during a Node memory spike. Zero downtime. Your channels stayed connected. Your agent remembered everything.
Want the full walkthrough?
Our $19 workshop covers OpenClaw setup from scratch. Install, configure, and send your first command in 15 minutes. Lifetime access included.
Written by
Kevin Jeppesen
Founder, The Operator Vault
Kevin is an early OpenClaw adopter who has saved an estimated 400 to 500 hours through AI automation. He stress-tests new workflows daily, sharing what actually works through step-by-step guides and a security-conscious approach to operating AI with real tools.
VPS FAQ
Questions about running OpenClaw on a VPS
Your AI agent.
Always on. $5/month on Hostinger.
Grab a $5/mo Hostinger VPS, run the one-command installer, and your OpenClaw agent is live in 20 minutes. We have done this dozens of times. It just works.