OpenClaw on Vultr

Global VPS with 32 datacenters — comparable to DigitalOcean

Vultr offers 32 datacenters worldwide—more geographic coverage than most competitors. If you need OpenClaw close to users in Asia, South America, or other regions, Vultr is a strong option. Pricing is comparable to DigitalOcean: Cloud Compute starts around $6/mo for 1 vCPU and 1GB RAM. For OpenClaw, 2GB RAM is recommended for comfortable operation with multiple channels and skills.

Vultr uses the same standard Linux stack—Ubuntu, Node.js, PM2—so the setup mirrors Hetzner and DigitalOcean. This guide walks through creating a server, installing OpenClaw, and keeping it running with PM2.

Choosing a Plan

For OpenClaw on Vultr Cloud Compute:

  • 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM (~$6/mo) — Minimum. Fine for testing; may struggle with multiple channels.
  • 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM — Recommended for personal use. Comfortable for one user, few channels.
  • 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM — For teams or heavier workloads. Handles more concurrent sessions and skills.

Remember: LLM inference runs on your provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.). Your VPS mainly runs Node.js and the gateway. 2GB RAM is usually enough.

Step 1: Create a Server

  1. Sign up at vultr.com
  2. Deploy New Server → Cloud Compute
  3. Choose location (pick closest to you or your users—32 options across US, EU, Asia, Australia, etc.)
  4. Select image: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
  5. Pick plan size (2GB recommended)
  6. Add SSH key
  7. Deploy

Step 2: Install OpenClaw and PM2

SSH in and run the standard install plus PM2:

SSH and install
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
apt update && apt upgrade -y
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
npm install -g pm2
openclaw init
pm2 start 'openclaw gateway start' --name openclaw
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Follow the pm2 startup output to enable boot persistence. For channel setup (WhatsApp QR, Telegram token, etc.), run openclaw channels login. On headless servers, the QR may appear as a URL—open it locally to complete pairing.

Why Vultr for OpenClaw

  • 32 global datacenters — Deploy where your users are
  • Comparable pricing — Similar to DigitalOcean, often competitive
  • Standard stack — No vendor lock-in; same tools as other VPS
  • Flexible plans — Hourly billing, easy to resize

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