Deploy OpenClaw to production servers with openclaw-ansible, an automated installer with a security-first architecture.

Prerequisites

What you get

• Firewall-first security: UFW + Docker isolation (only SSH + Tailscale reachable)
• Tailscale VPN for remote access without exposing services publicly
• Docker for isolated sandbox containers with localhost-only bindings
• Systemd integration with hardening, auto-starting on boot
• One-command setup

Quick start

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw-ansible/main/install.sh | bash

What gets installed

1. Tailscale (mesh VPN for secure remote access)
2. UFW firewall (SSH + Tailscale ports only)
3. Docker CE + Compose V2 (default agent sandbox backend)
4. Node.js and pnpm (OpenClaw requires Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+; Node 24 is recommended)
5. OpenClaw, installed host-based, not containerized
6. A systemd service with security hardening

Post-install setup

Quick commands

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status openclaw

# View live logs
sudo journalctl -u openclaw -f

# Restart gateway
sudo systemctl restart openclaw

# Channel login (run as openclaw user)
sudo -i -u openclaw
openclaw channels login --channel <name>

Security architecture

Four-layer defense model:

1. Firewall (UFW): only SSH (22) and Tailscale (41641/udp) exposed publicly
2. VPN (Tailscale): gateway reachable only via the VPN mesh
3. Docker isolation: DOCKER-USER iptables chain prevents external port exposure
4. Systemd hardening: NoNewPrivileges, PrivateTmp, unprivileged user

Verify your external attack surface:

nmap -p- YOUR_SERVER_IP

Only port 22 (SSH) should be open. Gateway and Docker stay locked down.

Docker is installed for agent sandboxes (isolated tool execution), not for running the gateway. See Multi-Agent Sandbox and Tools for sandbox configuration.

Manual installation

Or run the playbook directly and then run the setup script manually:
```bash
ansible-playbook playbook.yml --ask-become-pass
# Then run: /tmp/openclaw-setup.sh
```

Updating

The Ansible installer sets up OpenClaw for manual updates; see Updating for the standard flow.

To re-run the playbook (for example, after configuration changes):

cd openclaw-ansible
./run-playbook.sh

This is idempotent and safe to run multiple times.

Troubleshooting

# Verify permissions
sudo ls -la /opt/openclaw

# Test manual start
sudo -i -u openclaw
cd ~/openclaw
openclaw gateway run
```

# Check sandbox image
sudo docker images | grep openclaw-sandbox

# Build the sandbox image if missing (requires a source checkout)
cd /opt/openclaw/openclaw
sudo -u openclaw ./scripts/sandbox-setup.sh
# For npm installs without a source checkout, see
# https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/sandboxing#images-and-setup
```

Advanced configuration

For detailed security architecture and troubleshooting, see the openclaw-ansible repo:

• Security Architecture
• Technical Details
• Troubleshooting Guide

Related

• openclaw-ansible: full deployment guide
• Docker: containerized gateway setup
• Sandboxing: agent sandbox configuration
• Multi-Agent Sandbox and Tools: per-agent isolation

Source: docs/install/ansible.md