How do I run OpenClaw 24/7 on a Hetzner VPS?
Rent a Hetzner Cloud CX23 (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, €5.99 a month), install OpenClaw with its installer, point it at a model provider and install it as a systemd service so it restarts on its own. Hetzner's page marked the CX and CAX plans unavailable on October 13, 2026, so check the Console before you choose a size.
# New Ubuntu 24.04 server, logged in as root
apt-get update && apt-get install -y ufw
ufw allow OpenSSH && ufw --force enable
# A normal user for OpenClaw; its service keeps running after logout
adduser --gecos "" claw
loginctl enable-linger claw
rsync --archive --chown=claw:claw ~/.ssh /home/claw
# Log in again as that user
ssh claw@YOUR_SERVER_IP
Add your SSH key when you create the server; its IP is in the Hetzner Console. The provider file passed openclaw config validate on OpenClaw 2026.10.3, and onboarding kept it as the default model.
Which Hetzner server to pick
| Plan | CPU and RAM | Per month | For OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| CX23 | 2 vCPU, 4 GB, 40 GB disk | €5.99 | Enough for one agent and a few channels |
| CAX11 | 2 Arm vCPU, 4 GB, 40 GB disk | €6.49 | Same size on Arm; skill binaries need arm64 builds |
| CX33 | 4 vCPU, 8 GB, 80 GB disk | €8.99 | Browser automation, or building OpenClaw's Docker image from source |
| CAX21 | 4 Arm vCPU, 8 GB, 80 GB disk | €10.99 | The Arm version of CX33 |
Prices excluding VAT and including the €0.50 IPv4 address, from Hetzner's Cost-Optimized plans on October 13, 2026, after the June 15 price rise. These plans run in Germany and Finland only. OpenClaw's minimum is 1 vCPU and 1 GB, and it recommends 2 GB or more.
Server bill and model bill
The CX23's €5.99 is the same on a quiet day and a busy one. The model key bills each heartbeat, retry and tool call, and OpenClaw has no dollar cap of its own: /usage cost reports spend afterwards.
| Sonnet 5.5, metered | Opus 5.5, metered | Standard Compute | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One busy day | About $35 | About $70 | Up to the $20 budget of the $19 plan |
| Busy every day for a month | $1,048 | $2,095 | $19 |
| What stops it | A spend limit, if you set one | A spend limit, if you set one | The budget: new requests get HTTP 402 |
A busy day is our 90th-percentile agent-day: 775 requests and 79M tokens over a median of 14 active hours, priced at list price with the cache hits it really had (method). A day like that can use the whole Starter budget; smart routing stretches it, and larger plans raise it.
Keep the server private
- Leave port 18789 closed. OpenClaw's Hetzner guide reaches the Control UI through an SSH tunnel, so the firewall only needs SSH.
~/.openclawholds channel tokens and OAuth data in plain SQLite. Keep itchmod 700and back it up withopenclaw backup create.- OpenClaw's own Hetzner guide runs the gateway in Docker instead. The same key and provider file work there through
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set --batch-file.
The catch
If the CX and CAX plans stay unavailable, Hetzner's Regular Performance line costs about three times as much for 4 GB (CPX22 at €19.49), and its US locations start at €17.49 for 2 GB before IPv4. A 2 GB server from Vultr or DigitalOcean at $10 to $12 is the closer substitute.
Where Standard Compute fits
Standard Compute is an OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible API at https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1, with plans from $19 a month. Each plan has a fixed compute budget ($20 on Starter); when it is used, new requests get HTTP 402 and running ones finish, so there is no overage. With the key in ~/.openclaw/.env, the server and the model are both fixed monthly costs.
FAQ
Is Hetzner's cheapest server enough for OpenClaw?
Yes for one agent. A CX23 has 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM, twice OpenClaw's recommended 2 GB. Pick CX33 with 8 GB if the agent drives a browser or you build OpenClaw's Docker image from source, which needs 6 GB.
How much does it cost to run OpenClaw on Hetzner per month?
The server is €5.99 to €10.99 a month excluding VAT. The model calls are separate: at list prices, about $6 a month for a typical agent on an efficient model and $189 on Claude Opus 5.5, and ten to twelve times that for an agent busy all day.
Do I need Docker to run OpenClaw on a VPS?
No. OpenClaw's installer and openclaw onboard --install-daemon set up a systemd user service on any Debian or Ubuntu server. OpenClaw's Hetzner guide uses Docker, which keeps the agent in a container; both work with the same provider file.
Can I run OpenClaw in Hetzner's US locations?
Yes, on the Regular Performance line: the CX and CAX plans are offered in Germany and Finland only. In Ashburn and Hillsboro a 2 vCPU, 2 GB CPX11 was €17.49 a month before IPv4 on October 13, 2026.
What happens when my Standard Compute budget runs out overnight?
New requests get HTTP 402 and requests already running finish, so OpenClaw stops replying until the plan renews or you upgrade. You pay the $19 plan price and nothing on top.