OpenClaw on Oracle Cloud

Always Free tier — 24GB RAM, enough for OpenClaw + Ollama

Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier is the only major cloud offering with enough RAM (24GB) to run OpenClaw and Ollama with meaningful local models. AWS and GCP free tiers typically provide only 1GB—too little for local inference. Oracle gives you 4 ARM CPUs, 24GB RAM, and 200GB storage at $0/month. The catch: ARM architecture (not x86) and a slightly more involved setup than paid VPS providers.

If you want to run OpenClaw with local models (full privacy, no API costs) without paying for a server, Oracle Cloud Free is the best option. For cloud LLMs only, 24GB is overkill—a smaller paid VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean) may be simpler.

Free Tier Specs

  • CPU: 4 ARM-based Ampere A1 cores
  • RAM: 24 GB
  • Storage: 200 GB boot volume
  • Architecture: ARM64 (not x86)
  • Cost: $0/month (Always Free; no credit card charge for free tier resources)

Enough for 7B parameter models or quantized 13B on Ollama. See Ollama + OpenClaw for local model setup.

Setup Overview

  1. Create an Oracle Cloud account
  2. Create a Compute instance — choose Ampere A1 shape, Ubuntu 24.04 ARM
  3. Allocate 24GB RAM (flexible A1 allows you to split cores/RAM)
  4. Configure networking (VCN, security list for SSH)
  5. SSH in and run the standard OpenClaw install (Node.js works on ARM)
  6. For Ollama: install Ollama for Linux ARM64; pull models compatible with ARM

ARM compatibility: Node.js and OpenClaw run on ARM. Ollama supports ARM with appropriate models. Some skills or native binaries may have x86-only dependencies—test as needed.

Why Oracle Cloud for OpenClaw

  • Truly free — No time limit on Always Free tier
  • 24GB RAM — Only free tier with enough RAM for local LLMs
  • No API costs (with Ollama) — Full privacy, no per-token charges
  • Good for learning — Experiment without spending

Trade-offs: ARM means some software may need adjustments. Oracle's UI and docs can feel more complex than Hetzner or DigitalOcean. For production, many users prefer paid providers for simplicity and support.

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