You have several good ways to host a long-running service like OpenClaw on AWS:

Option A — Amazon Lightsail (Recommended for Beginners)

Lightsail gives you a simple VPS with a predictable monthly price — ideal for one server with minimal AWS configuration. It supports VPS instances ready for Node.js deployments without complicated networking.

Pros:

• Easy to launch and manage
• Fixed pricing with predictable cost
• Great for a single server with Node apps
• Minimal AWS complexity

Cons:

• Less scalable than EC2 or container services

Option B — Amazon EC2 (Advanced / Scalable)

EC2 gives you full control over servers: choose instance type, configure network/security, and scale later. You’ll manually set up Node.js and OpenClaw on the instance.

Pros:

• Full compute control
• Flexible networking and scaling
• Integrates well with other AWS services

Cons:

• Requires more AWS knowledge

Step 2 — Launch Your AWS Server

Recommended Configuration

• OS: Linux
• Instance size: 4 GB RAM or higher
• Open ports:
  • 22 (SSH)
  • 18789 (OpenClaw Gateway – restrict later)

After launching, note the public IP address.

For Lightsail:

1. Go to Lightsail in the AWS Console.
2. Create a new Linux/Unix instance.
3. Choose an instance size (4+ GB RAM recommended for AI workloads).
4. Add your SSH key or use the default.
5. Launch.

Once your instance is running, note its public IP.

For EC2:

• Open EC2 Console > “Launch Instance”.
• Choose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or Amazon Linux.
• Allow ports 22 (SSH) and any app port you’ll access (e.g., 18789 for OpenClaw UI).
• Assign or create an SSH key pair.
• Launch and note the IP.

Step 3 — Install Dependencies on Your Server

SSH into your instance:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/yourkey.pem ubuntu@YOUR_INSTANCE_IP

Note: As an alternative, we can use EC2 Connect

Install Node.js (v22+ required):

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Verify Node version:

node -v

From your server’s terminal:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

This installer detects your OS and automatically installs Node.js + OpenClaw CLI. Once ready, you can start the interactive onboarding wizard:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

This will:

• Configure the OpenClaw Gateway
• Create your workspace and default agent
• Help you choose which messaging channels to connect (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.)

Step 5 — Configure Your AI Model

During the wizard or after via the CLI, link your OpenAI/Anthropic (or other) API keys. This lets OpenClaw use real LLM models for generation and reasoning.

openclaw configure

Add your API keys when prompted.

Step 6 — Start & Access Your OpenClaw

Start the daemon (if not already running):

openclaw gateway --port 18789

Now OpenClaw’s control UI is usually available at:

http://YOUR_INSTANCE_IP:18789/

From here, you can interact with your AI setup, see logs, and configure workflows.

Because OpenClaw can execute high-level commands and interact with external services:

• Do not expose the Gateway port to the public internet without protection. Instead:
  • Use a reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx) with HTTPS
  • Set up a VPN or SSH tunnel
  • Use firewall rules to restrict access
  • Review security group rules
• Run OpenClaw as a non-root user
• Rotate API keys periodically

Security is especially crucial for powerful tools like OpenClaw, which can execute system tasks.