How to Install OpenClaw on Hostinger VPS — Complete 2026 Guide

TL;DR

Want to run OpenClaw on a Hostinger VPS? You'll need ~30 minutes, basic Linux command line skills, and $5-8/month for the VPS. This guide walks through every step: buying the VPS, installing Docker, pulling the OpenClaw image, configuring Telegram/WhatsApp, and securing your deployment.

Short on time or want a simpler path? OneClaw runs OpenClaw for you in 5 minutes from $9.99/month — same cost, zero DevOps. Start your 3-day trial →

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Why Run OpenClaw on Hostinger?

Hostinger is popular for OpenClaw hosting because:

• Price: VPS plans start at $4.99/month (often $3/mo with 48-month billing) — among the cheapest reliable hosts
• One-Click Docker Template: Hostinger ships a pre-configured Docker image template, skipping several setup steps
• Decent specs: Even the cheapest tier gives you 1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe — enough for a single OpenClaw instance
• Global data centers: US, UK, NL, LT, BR, IN, SG — low latency wherever your users are
• 24/7 support: Live chat (useful if you hit server issues)

What you don't get:

• Automatic OpenClaw updates (you manage them)
• Pre-configured messaging channels (Telegram/WhatsApp are manual)
• Rollback / backup safety nets (unless you configure them)
• Security hardening (you need to lock down firewall, SSH keys, etc.)

If these "don't get" items feel like homework, jump to the OneClaw comparison at the end of this post.

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Prerequisites

Before you start, have these ready:

1. A Hostinger VPS plan (we'll buy one in Step 1 if you don't have it)
2. A credit card for Hostinger billing
3. An Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google API key — get one free at console.anthropic.com
4. A Telegram account (for BotFather) — WhatsApp phone number works too, but Telegram is fastest
5. Basic terminal comfort — you'll run 8-10 commands. If you've ever SSH'd anywhere, you're fine.

Estimated time: 25-35 minutes (20 min if you already have a VPS).

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Step 1: Provision Your Hostinger VPS

1. Go to hostinger.com/vps and pick KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM) for $8.99/mo. The cheapest KVM 1 ($4.99/mo) works too but may struggle with multiple channels.
2. During setup, choose "Operating System → Ubuntu 24.04 with Docker". This saves you 10 minutes of manual Docker install.
3. Set a strong root password when prompted — save it in 1Password or similar.
4. Once provisioned (~5 min), Hostinger emails you the server IP.

Pro tip: In the Hostinger control panel → "Firewall", allow only ports 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS). Block everything else.

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Step 2: Connect via SSH

Open your terminal (Mac/Linux) or PowerShell (Windows):

ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

First time connecting, you'll see a warning about "unknown host fingerprint". Type yes. Then paste the root password.

You should see a root@hostname:~# prompt. You're in.

If SSH fails: check Hostinger control panel → VPS → Status (should say "Running"). Also verify IP address from the welcome email.

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Step 3: Verify Docker is Installed

Since we chose the Ubuntu + Docker template, Docker should already be ready:

docker --version
docker compose version

If Docker isn't installed:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Wait 2 minutes, then re-run docker --version to confirm.

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Step 4: Install OpenClaw via Docker Compose

Create a project directory:

mkdir -p /opt/openclaw && cd /opt/openclaw
nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this config (verify against the latest OpenClaw docs before production):

version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
      - TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://openclaw:changeme@db:5432/openclaw
    depends_on:
      - db
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    container_name: openclaw_db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=openclaw
      - POSTGRES_USER=openclaw
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme
    volumes:
      - ./postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Create a .env file:

nano .env

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...       # your real Anthropic key
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=                       # we'll add this in Step 5

Don't start OpenClaw yet — we need the Telegram token first.

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Step 5: Create a Telegram Bot with BotFather

1. Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, and start a chat
2. Send /newbot
3. BotFather asks for a display name and a username ending in bot
4. BotFather replies with a token like 1234567890:AAHxxx... — copy it

Back on the VPS, paste the token into .env:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=1234567890:AAHxxx...

For a deeper Telegram walkthrough (commands, webhooks, groups), see our OpenClaw Telegram Setup Guide.

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Step 6: Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d
docker compose ps

Both openclaw and openclaw_db should show running (healthy).

Check logs:

docker compose logs -f openclaw

Look for [INFO] OpenClaw ready. Telegram bot @myopenclaw_bot online.

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Step 7: Test Your Bot

1. Open Telegram, search for your bot username (e.g. @myopenclaw_bot)
2. Send /start
3. Within 1-2 seconds, your bot replies
4. Send: "Summarize the latest news on AI agents"
5. You get a Claude-powered response

🎉 OpenClaw is running on Hostinger.

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Step 8: Production Hardening (Do NOT Skip)

Firewall

ufw allow 22/tcp && ufw allow 80/tcp && ufw allow 443/tcp && ufw enable

Non-root user

adduser openclaw
usermod -aG docker openclaw

SSH key only — on your machine: ssh-copy-id openclaw@YOUR_VPS_IP. On the VPS edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config to set PasswordAuthentication no and PermitRootLogin no, then sudo systemctl restart sshd.

Automatic backups (crontab -e):

0 3 * * * docker exec openclaw_db pg_dump -U openclaw openclaw | gzip > /opt/openclaw/backups/$(date +\%F).sql.gz

HTTPS — install Caddy, add your domain to /etc/caddy/Caddyfile with reverse_proxy localhost:3000, reload Caddy. Auto-SSL in 30 seconds.

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Troubleshooting

Bot doesn't reply on Telegram

• docker compose logs openclaw for errors
• Verify TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN matches BotFather (no trailing space)
• curl -I https://api.telegram.org to verify egress

"Connection refused" on port 3000

• systemctl status docker, docker compose ps, ufw status | grep 3000

Anthropic API key errors

• Key valid? Billing set up? Rate-limited?

Container keeps restarting (OOM)

• 1 GB RAM is tight. Upgrade to KVM 2 (8 GB), or add swap.

WhatsApp keeps disconnecting (Baileys)

• Baileys unofficial API is unstable. Prefer Telegram or migrate to OneClaw which uses managed WhatsApp infrastructure.

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The Real Cost of Hostinger + OpenClaw

30-day math:

Item	Cost
Hostinger KVM 2 VPS	$8.99
Anthropic API (Claude Sonnet, ~1M tokens)	$3-15
Domain + SSL	$1
Your time	30 min setup + 1-2 hr/mo
Total cash	~$13-25/mo

vs OneClaw Self-Hosted ($9.99/mo managed, runs on your Mac):

Item	Cost
OneClaw Self-Hosted	$9.99
Your API usage	$3-15
Total cash	~$13-25/mo, zero DevOps

vs OneClaw Cloud Hosted ($29.99/mo with ClawRouters, 10M tokens included):

Item	Cost
OneClaw Cloud Hosted	$29.99 flat
Bring your own key	$0 (or BYOK on $19.99 Cloud BYOK)
Total cash	$29.99/mo flat

For most users, OneClaw matches Hostinger cost with zero maintenance.

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Skip All This — Use OneClaw

Here's the shortcut. OneClaw handles all of the above:

• No Docker, no SSH, no Compose file
• BotFather integration built-in
• WhatsApp, Discord, Slack pre-configured
• BYOK — bring your Anthropic/OpenAI/Google key
• 24/7 uptime, auto-updates, daily backups
• From $9.99/mo

Start your 3-Day Free Trial →

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Related Guides

• OpenClaw Telegram Bot Setup: From BotFather to Production
• OpenClaw One-Click Deploy Guide
• How to Self-Host an AI Assistant in 2026
• Best OpenClaw Hosting 2026: 7 Providers Compared

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Published by the OneClaw team. Questions? Email support@oneclaw.net or open an issue on GitHub.