How I Finally Got OpenClaw Running 24/7: $6/Month on DigitalOcean

TLDR

OpenClaw (previously known as Clawdbot and Moltbot) runs on a $6/month DigitalOcean Droplet. It stays on 24/7 without my laptop running. Use this referral link for $200 in free credit. That covers over 30 months of usage.

Introduction

My agent kept going offline. Every time I closed my laptop, every time I left for coffee, the agent disappeared. I needed it available around the clock, not just when I was at my desk.

This guide shows how I deployed OpenClaw to a DigitalOcean Droplet for $6/month. The whole setup takes about 15 minutes. By the end, your agent runs 24/7 and you can message it from your phone while you sleep.

Why Not Just Run It Locally?

I tried running OpenClaw on my laptop first. Three problems:

1. My laptop has to stay on. Close the lid, agent goes offline. Go to sleep, agent goes offline. Not exactly "always available."

2. Security risk. An AI agent on my main machine has access to my files, my browser sessions, my everything. One bad prompt and things could go sideways.

3. Cost. Leaving a laptop running 24/7 costs more in electricity than a $6 cloud server. Plus wear on the hardware.

A VPS solves all three. The agent runs in isolation on a cheap server that never sleeps.

What You Will Need

Before starting:

1. DigitalOcean account - Sign up with this referral link for $200 in free credit
2. SSH key - I will show you how to create one if you do not have one
3. About 15 minutes
4. An LLM API key - Anthropic, OpenAI, or another provider

Step 1: Create Your DigitalOcean Account

Go to DigitalOcean using the referral link.

Sign up with email or GitHub. Add a payment method. You will not be charged until you exceed the $200 credit.

The credit lasts 60 days. A $6/month Droplet means you can run OpenClaw for free while you decide if this setup works for you.

Step 2: Deploy with 1-Click (Recommended)

DigitalOcean has a 1-Click OpenClaw image that handles most of the setup automatically.

1. Go to the DigitalOcean Marketplace
2. Search for "OpenClaw"
3. Click Create OpenClaw Droplet

On the creation page:

Region: Pick the one closest to you. Lower latency means faster responses.

Droplet size:

• $6/month (1GB RAM) - Works fine for basic usage
• $12/month (2GB RAM) - Better for heavier workloads

I run the $6 one. It handles my daily tasks without issues.

Authentication: Select SSH Key.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Hostname: Give it a name like "openclaw-server"

Click Create Droplet. Wait 1-2 minutes for it to spin up.

Step 3: SSH Into Your Droplet

Once the Droplet shows a green "Running" status, copy the IP address from your dashboard.

Open your terminal and connect:

ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP

Replace YOUR_DROPLET_IP with the actual IP address.

First connection will ask you to verify the host fingerprint. Type yes and press Enter.

You will see the OpenClaw welcome message. It shows:

• Your Dashboard URL
• Instructions for entering your API key

Enter your Anthropic (or other provider) API key when prompted.

Step 4: Verify It Is Running

Two ways to check:

Option A: Dashboard

Open the Dashboard URL shown in the welcome message. You should see the OpenClaw web interface.

Option B: Command line

In your SSH session:

openclaw status

Should show the gateway running and your agent active.

Your AI agent is now running 24/7. Close your laptop. Go to sleep. It keeps working.

Alternative: Manual Install

The 1-Click image is easiest. But if you want more control, you can install OpenClaw on a blank Ubuntu Droplet.

ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.bot/install.sh | bash

openclaw setup

sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

openclaw gateway start

What Is Next: Connect Telegram

With OpenClaw running on your VPS, the next step is connecting a chat interface.

Telegram is the easiest option. See OpenClaw Telegram Setup in 5 Minutes: Here's Exactly How for the full walkthrough.

Once Telegram is connected, you can organize your work with groups. See 6 Telegram Groups That Finally Organized My OpenClaw Agent: Here's How.

FAQ

Q: Is $6/month really enough?

For basic usage, yes. I run daily tasks, some automation, and occasional research on the $6 tier. If you hit memory limits or want faster responses, upgrade to $12/month.

Q: What happens when the $200 credit runs out?

Your payment method gets charged. At $6/month, that is less than a coffee. You can also set up billing alerts to avoid surprises.

Q: Can I use a different cloud provider?

Yes. Any Linux VPS with 1GB+ RAM works. AWS Lightsail, Linode, Vultr, Hetzner. The install steps are the same after you SSH in.

Q: How do I update OpenClaw?

SSH into your Droplet and run the installer again:

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

It detects the existing install and updates it.

Q: Is this secure?

The 1-Click image includes security hardening: firewall rules, non-root execution, Docker isolation, and authenticated gateway tokens. It is safer than running on your personal machine.

Sources

1. How to Run OpenClaw with DigitalOcean - DigitalOcean Tutorial
2. OpenClaw Setup Documentation - Official Docs
3. OpenClaw Installer Documentation - Official Docs
4. DigitalOcean Droplet Pricing - Official Pricing

Conclusion

My AI agent now runs 24/7 on a $6/month server.

1. Sign up with the referral link for $200 credit
2. Deploy with 1-Click or manual install
3. SSH in and add your API key
4. Connect Telegram to chat from anywhere

The whole process takes about 15 minutes. The agent runs whether your laptop is on or not.