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docs/install/oracle.md

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Run a persistent OpenClaw Gateway on Oracle Cloud's Always Free ARM tier (up to 4 OCPU, 24 GB RAM, 200 GB storage) at no cost.

Prerequisites

Setup

<Steps> <Step title="Create an OCI instance"> 1. Log into [Oracle Cloud Console](https://cloud.oracle.com/). 2. Navigate to **Compute > Instances > Create Instance**. 3. Configure: - **Name:** `openclaw` - **Image:** Ubuntu 24.04 (aarch64) - **Shape:** `VM.Standard.A1.Flex` (Ampere ARM) - **OCPUs:** 2 (or up to 4) - **Memory:** 12 GB (or up to 24 GB) - **Boot volume:** 50 GB (up to 200 GB free) - **SSH key:** Add your public key 4. Click **Create** and note the public IP address. 
<Tip>
If instance creation fails with "Out of capacity", try a different availability domain or retry later. Free tier capacity is limited.
</Tip>
</Step> <Step title="Connect and update the system"> ```bash ssh ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP 
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y build-essential
```

`build-essential` is required for ARM compilation of some dependencies.
</Step> <Step title="Configure user and hostname"> ```bash sudo hostnamectl set-hostname openclaw sudo passwd ubuntu sudo loginctl enable-linger ubuntu ``` 
Enabling linger keeps user services running after logout.
</Step> <Step title="Install Tailscale"> ```bash curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=openclaw ``` 
From now on, connect via Tailscale: `ssh ubuntu@openclaw`.
</Step> <Step title="Install OpenClaw"> ```bash curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash source ~/.bashrc ``` 
When prompted "How do you want to hatch your bot?", select **Do this later**.
</Step> <Step title="Configure the gateway"> Use token auth with Tailscale Serve for secure remote access. 
```bash
openclaw config set gateway.bind loopback
openclaw config set gateway.auth.mode token
openclaw doctor --generate-gateway-token
openclaw config set gateway.tailscale.mode serve
openclaw config set gateway.trustedProxies '["127.0.0.1"]'

systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
```

`gateway.trustedProxies=["127.0.0.1"]` here is only for the local Tailscale Serve proxy's forwarded-IP/local-client handling. It is **not** `gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy"`. Diff viewer routes keep fail-closed behavior in this setup: raw `127.0.0.1` viewer requests without forwarded proxy headers can return `Diff not found`. Use `mode=file` / `mode=both` for attachments, or intentionally enable remote viewers and set `plugins.entries.diffs.config.viewerBaseUrl` (or pass a proxy `baseUrl`) if you need shareable viewer links.
</Step> <Step title="Lock down VCN security"> Block all traffic except Tailscale at the network edge: 
1. Go to **Networking > Virtual Cloud Networks** in the OCI Console.
2. Click your VCN, then **Security Lists > Default Security List**.
3. **Remove** all ingress rules except `0.0.0.0/0 UDP 41641` (Tailscale).
4. Keep default egress rules (allow all outbound).

This blocks SSH on port 22, HTTP, HTTPS, and everything else at the network edge. You can only connect via Tailscale from this point on.
</Step> <Step title="Verify"> ```bash openclaw --version systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service tailscale serve status curl http://localhost:18789 ``` 
Access the Control UI from any device on your tailnet:

```
https://openclaw.<tailnet-name>.ts.net/
```

Replace `<tailnet-name>` with your tailnet name (visible in `tailscale status`).
</Step> </Steps>

Verify the security posture

With the VCN locked down (only UDP 41641 open) and the Gateway bound to loopback, public traffic is blocked at the network edge and admin access is tailnet-only. That removes the need for several traditional VPS hardening steps:

Traditional stepNeeded?Why
UFW firewallNoThe VCN blocks traffic before it reaches the instance.
fail2banNoPort 22 is blocked at the VCN; no brute-force surface.
sshd hardeningNoTailscale SSH does not use sshd.
Disable root loginNoTailscale authenticates by tailnet identity, not system users.
SSH key-only authNoSame — tailnet identity replaces system SSH keys.
IPv6 hardeningUsually notDepends on VCN/subnet settings; verify what is actually assigned/exposed.

Still recommended:

  • chmod 700 ~/.openclaw to restrict credential file permissions.
  • openclaw security audit for an OpenClaw-specific posture check.
  • Regular sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade for OS patches.
  • Review devices in the Tailscale admin console periodically.

Quick verification commands:

bash
# Confirm no public ports are listening
sudo ss -tlnp | grep -v '127.0.0.1\|::1'

# Verify Tailscale SSH is active
tailscale status | grep -q 'offers: ssh' && echo "Tailscale SSH active"

# Optional: disable sshd entirely once Tailscale SSH is confirmed working
sudo systemctl disable --now ssh

ARM notes

The Always Free tier is ARM (aarch64). Most OpenClaw features work fine; a small number of native binaries need ARM builds:

  • Node.js, Telegram, WhatsApp (Baileys): pure JavaScript, no issues.
  • Most npm packages with native code: pre-built linux-arm64 artifacts available.
  • Optional CLI helpers (e.g. Go/Rust binaries shipped by skills): check for an aarch64 / linux-arm64 release before installing.

Verify the architecture with uname -m (should print aarch64). For binaries without an ARM build, install from source or skip them.

Persistence and backups

OpenClaw state lives under:

  • ~/.openclaw/ — openclaw.json, per-agent auth-profiles.json, channel/provider state, and session data.
  • ~/.openclaw/workspace/ — the agent workspace (SOUL.md, memory, artifacts).

These survive reboots. To take a portable snapshot:

bash
openclaw backup create

Fallback: SSH tunnel

If Tailscale Serve is not working, use an SSH tunnel from your local machine:

bash
ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 ubuntu@openclaw

Then open http://localhost:18789.

Troubleshooting

Instance creation fails ("Out of capacity") -- Free tier ARM instances are popular. Try a different availability domain or retry during off-peak hours.

Tailscale will not connect -- Run sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=openclaw --reset to re-authenticate.

Gateway will not start -- Run openclaw doctor --non-interactive and check logs with journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -n 50.

ARM binary issues -- Most npm packages work on ARM64. For native binaries, look for linux-arm64 or aarch64 releases. Verify architecture with uname -m.

Next steps