Install OpenClaw on Hostinger VPS: Beginner-Friendly Guide (2026)

You want to run OpenClaw on a real server — not your laptop, not a free tier that throttles you, not a complicated cloud setup that costs $50/month before you've done anything useful.

Hostinger VPS is the sweet spot. Starting at $5.99/month, you get a dedicated server with enough power to run OpenClaw and even local AI models. And unlike shared hosting, you have full root access to install whatever you want.

This guide takes you from "I just bought a Hostinger VPS" to "my AI agent is running 24/7 and I can chat with it on Telegram." Step by step.

Why Hostinger for OpenClaw?

Price — KVM VPS plans start at $5.99/month. The KVM 2 plan ($8.99/month, 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM) is the sweet spot — enough to run OpenClaw plus Ollama with a small local model.

Performance — NVMe SSD storage, dedicated resources (not shared), data centers worldwide.

Simplicity — hPanel makes server management easy. One-click OS installs, built-in terminal, firewall management.

Root access — Full control. Install Node.js, Docker, Ollama, whatever you need.

Comparing options: DigitalOcean and Hetzner are also solid (see our Docker deployment guide). Hostinger wins on price for beginners.

Step 1: Purchase Your VPS

Head to Hostinger and grab a VPS plan:

For OpenClaw only (API models): KVM 1 — $5.99/month, 1 vCPU, 4GB RAM
For OpenClaw + Ollama (local models): KVM 2 — $8.99/month, 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM

During checkout:

Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 (or 24.04)
Data Center: Choose closest to your location
Set a strong root password

Step 2: Connect to Your Server

Find your server's IP in the Hostinger dashboard. SSH in:

ssh root@your-server-ip

First-time setup — update everything:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Install Node.js

OpenClaw requires Node.js 18+:

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

Verify:

node --version  # v22.x.x
npm --version   # 10.x.x

Step 4: Install OpenClaw

One command:

npm install -g openclaw

Initialize your workspace:

mkdir ~/my-agent && cd ~/my-agent
openclaw init

Edit your agent's personality:

nano SOUL.md
nano TOOLS.md

Step 5: Configure Your AI Model

Set your preferred model and API key:

openclaw config set model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"

Make it persistent:

echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Want free local models? Install Ollama (needs KVM 2 plan, 8GB RAM):

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
ollama pull llama3.1:8b
openclaw config set model ollama/llama3.1:8b

Step 6: Start OpenClaw (Run 24/7)

Test first:

openclaw start

(Ctrl+C to stop)

Set up as a system service for 24/7 operation. Create /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service:

[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw AI Agent
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
WorkingDirectory=/root/my-agent
ExecStart=/usr/bin/openclaw start
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
Environment=ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable openclaw
systemctl start openclaw

Your agent now starts automatically on boot and restarts if it crashes.

systemctl status openclaw     # Check status
journalctl -u openclaw -f     # View logs

Step 7: Connect Telegram (or Discord)

Message @BotFather on Telegram
Send /newbot and follow the prompts
Copy the bot token
Add to OpenClaw:

openclaw config set telegram.token "your-bot-token-here"
systemctl restart openclaw

Now message your bot on Telegram — your AI agent responds from your Hostinger VPS, 24/7.

OpenClaw on Windows (via WSL)

Don't have a VPS yet? Run OpenClaw on Windows using WSL:

In PowerShell (Admin):

wsl --install

Restart, open Ubuntu from Start menu, then follow the same Linux steps above (Step 3 onwards).

WSL is great for testing. For production, move to a VPS — your laptop needs to sleep sometimes.

OpenClaw on macOS

brew install node
npm install -g openclaw
mkdir ~/my-agent && cd ~/my-agent
openclaw init && openclaw start

For always-on operation, use tmux:

tmux new -s openclaw
openclaw start
# Ctrl+B then D to detach

Security Hardening

Your VPS is on the public internet. Lock it down:

1. Create a non-root user:

adduser openclaw-user && usermod -aG sudo openclaw-user

2. Set up SSH key auth:

ssh-copy-id openclaw-user@your-server-ip

3. Disable password auth in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PasswordAuthentication no

4. Enable firewall:

ufw allow ssh && ufw enable

Don't expose port 3000. Use SSH tunneling:

ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 openclaw-user@your-server-ip

Troubleshooting

"npm: command not found" — Re-run the NodeSource setup script.

"openclaw: command not found" — Try npx openclaw start or check npm root -g.

Agent crashes after a few hours? — Check memory: free -h. Out of RAM → upgrade plan or switch to API models.

Telegram bot not responding? — Verify token, check logs with journalctl -u openclaw -f.

Server rebooted and agent didn't start? — Check: systemctl is-enabled openclaw (should say "enabled").

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Hostinger VPS plan should I choose for OpenClaw?

KVM 1 ($5.99/month, 4GB RAM) is enough for API-only mode. If you want to run local models with Ollama, get KVM 2 ($8.99/month, 8GB RAM).

Can I run OpenClaw on shared hosting?

No. OpenClaw needs Node.js and persistent processes, which shared hosting doesn't support. You need a VPS with root access.

How do I update OpenClaw on my VPS?

npm update -g openclaw
systemctl restart openclaw

Can I run multiple agents on one VPS?

Yes. Create separate workspace directories and systemd services with different ports.

Is Hostinger VPS good for production AI agents?

Yes. The KVM architecture provides dedicated resources (not shared), NVMe storage for fast I/O, and 99.9% uptime. For high-traffic agents, consider KVM 4 or higher.

Prefer Docker? Deploy OpenClaw with Docker.

Need skills? OpenClaw Skills Guide.

Want browser automation? OpenClaw Browser Relay.

Ready-made templates? Browse skill templates.