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Run OpenClaw Gateway 24/7 on an Azure Linux VM with durable state

Set up an Azure Linux VM with the Azure CLI, apply Network Security Group (NSG) hardening, configure Azure Bastion for SSH access, and install OpenClaw.

What you will do

  • Create Azure networking (VNet, subnets, NSG) and compute resources with the Azure CLI
  • Apply NSG rules so VM SSH is allowed only from Azure Bastion
  • Use Azure Bastion for SSH access (no public IP on the VM)
  • Install OpenClaw with the installer script
  • Verify the gateway

What you need

  • An Azure subscription with permission to create compute and network resources
  • Azure CLI installed (see Azure CLI install steps)
  • An SSH key pair (this guide covers generating one if needed)
  • About 20-30 minutes

Configure deployment

The `ssh` extension is required for Azure Bastion native SSH tunneling.

Verify registration; wait until both show `Registered`.

```bash
az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Compute --query registrationState -o tsv
az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Network --query registrationState -o tsv
```

Adjust names and CIDR ranges to fit your environment. The Bastion subnet must be at least `/26`.

```bash
SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
```

Otherwise, generate one:

```bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
```

- Start smaller for light usage and scale up later.
- Use more vCPU/RAM/disk for heavier automation, more channels, or larger model/tool workloads.
- If a size is unavailable in your region or subscription quota, pick the closest available SKU.

List VM sizes available in your target region:

```bash
az vm list-skus --location "${LOCATION}" --resource-type virtualMachines -o table
```

Check your current vCPU and disk usage/quota:

```bash
az vm list-usage --location "${LOCATION}" -o table
```

Deploy Azure resources

```bash
az network nsg create \
  -g "${RG}" -n "${NSG_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}"

# Allow SSH from the Bastion subnet only
az network nsg rule create \
  -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
  -n AllowSshFromBastionSubnet --priority 100 \
  --access Allow --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
  --source-address-prefixes "${BASTION_SUBNET_PREFIX}" \
  --destination-port-ranges 22

# Deny SSH from the public internet
az network nsg rule create \
  -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
  -n DenyInternetSsh --priority 110 \
  --access Deny --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
  --source-address-prefixes Internet \
  --destination-port-ranges 22

# Deny SSH from other VNet sources
az network nsg rule create \
  -g "${RG}" --nsg-name "${NSG_NAME}" \
  -n DenyVnetSsh --priority 120 \
  --access Deny --direction Inbound --protocol Tcp \
  --source-address-prefixes VirtualNetwork \
  --destination-port-ranges 22
```

Rules evaluate by priority, lowest number first: Bastion traffic is allowed at 100, then all other SSH is blocked at 110 and 120.

```bash
az network vnet create \
  -g "${RG}" -n "${VNET_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
  --address-prefixes "${VNET_PREFIX}" \
  --subnet-name "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" \
  --subnet-prefixes "${VM_SUBNET_PREFIX}"

# Attach the NSG to the VM subnet
az network vnet subnet update \
  -g "${RG}" --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
  -n "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" --nsg "${NSG_NAME}"

# AzureBastionSubnet: this exact name is required by Azure
az network vnet subnet create \
  -g "${RG}" --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
  -n AzureBastionSubnet \
  --address-prefixes "${BASTION_SUBNET_PREFIX}"
```

```bash
az vm create \
  -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
  --image "Canonical:ubuntu-24_04-lts:server:latest" \
  --size "${VM_SIZE}" \
  --os-disk-size-gb "${OS_DISK_SIZE_GB}" \
  --storage-sku StandardSSD_LRS \
  --admin-username "${ADMIN_USERNAME}" \
  --ssh-key-values "${SSH_PUB_KEY}" \
  --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
  --subnet "${VM_SUBNET_NAME}" \
  --public-ip-address "" \
  --nsg ""
```

`--public-ip-address ""` prevents a public IP from being assigned. `--nsg ""` skips a per-NIC NSG since the subnet-level NSG already handles security.

To pin a specific Ubuntu image version instead of `latest`, list available versions first:

```bash
az vm image list \
  --publisher Canonical --offer ubuntu-24_04-lts \
  --sku server --all -o table
```

```bash
az network public-ip create \
  -g "${RG}" -n "${BASTION_PIP_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
  --sku Standard --allocation-method Static

az network bastion create \
  -g "${RG}" -n "${BASTION_NAME}" -l "${LOCATION}" \
  --vnet-name "${VNET_NAME}" \
  --public-ip-address "${BASTION_PIP_NAME}" \
  --sku Standard --enable-tunneling true
```

Bastion provisioning typically takes 5-10 minutes, but can take up to 15-30 minutes in some regions.

Install OpenClaw

az network bastion ssh \
  --name "${BASTION_NAME}" \
  --resource-group "${RG}" \
  --target-resource-id "${VM_ID}" \
  --auth-type ssh-key \
  --username "${ADMIN_USERNAME}" \
  --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
```

The installer installs Node and dependencies if not already present, installs OpenClaw, and launches onboarding. See [Install](/install) for details.

```bash
openclaw gateway status
```

If your organization already has GitHub Copilot licenses, you can choose the GitHub Copilot provider during onboarding instead of a separate model API key. See [GitHub Copilot provider](/providers/github-copilot).

Cost considerations

Approximate monthly costs (verify current pricing in the Azure Pricing Calculator, since rates vary by region and change over time):

  • Azure Bastion Standard SKU: roughly $140/month
  • VM (Standard_B2as_v2): roughly $55/month

To reduce costs:

  • Deallocate the VM when not in use. This stops compute billing (disk charges remain). The gateway is unreachable while deallocated.

    az vm deallocate -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}"
az vm start -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}"   # restart later

  • Delete Bastion when not needed and recreate it when you need SSH access again; it is the largest cost component and provisions in a few minutes.

  • Use the Basic Bastion SKU (roughly $38/month) if you only need Portal-based SSH and do not need CLI tunneling (az network bastion ssh).

Cleanup

Delete all resources created by this guide:

az group delete -n "${RG}" --yes --no-wait

This removes the resource group and everything inside it (VM, VNet, NSG, Bastion, public IP).

Next steps

Related

Source: docs/install/azure.md

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