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OpenClaw AWS Deployment guide #1110

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380 changes: 380 additions & 0 deletions docs/cookbook/deploy-openclaw-on-aws.mdx
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---
title: 'Deploy OpenClaw on AWS'
description: 'Set up your own AI personal assistant in the cloud using AWS Lightsail with Telegram integration'
---

[OpenClaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) is an open-source AI personal assistant that helps you manage tasks, answer questions, and automate workflows through messaging platforms. This guide walks you through deploying OpenClaw on AWS Lightsail and connecting it to Telegram.

## What you'll need

Before starting, make sure you have:

- An [AWS account](https://aws.amazon.com/) (free tier eligible for some services)
- A [Telegram account](https://telegram.org/)
- An API key from either:
- [Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com/) (for Claude models)
- [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/) (for GPT models)

## Cost overview

The recommended AWS Lightsail instance costs approximately **$20/month** for a 4GB RAM instance, which provides sufficient resources for running OpenClaw reliably.

## Create your Lightsail instance

### Step 1: Access AWS Lightsail

1. Sign in to the [AWS Console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/)
2. Search for "Lightsail" in the services search bar
3. Click **Create instance**

### Step 2: Configure the instance

1. **Select your instance location**: Choose the AWS Region closest to you for better latency
2. **Select a platform**: Choose **Linux/Unix**
3. **Select a blueprint**: Choose **OS Only** → **Ubuntu 24.04 LTS**
4. **Choose your instance plan**: Select the **$20 USD** plan (4 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs, 80 GB SSD)
5. **Name your instance**: Enter a descriptive name like `openclaw-server`
6. Click **Create instance**

Wait for the instance status to show **Running** before proceeding.

## Access your instance

You have two options for connecting to your server.

### Option 1: Browser-based SSH (easiest)

1. In the Lightsail console, find your instance
2. Click the terminal icon or **Connect using SSH**
3. A browser-based terminal opens automatically

### Option 2: SSH with keys (recommended for regular use)

1. In Lightsail, go to **Account** → **SSH keys**
2. Download your default key or create a new one
3. Save the `.pem` file securely on your computer
4. Set proper permissions and connect:

```bash Terminal
chmod 400 ~/Downloads/your-key.pem
ssh -i ~/Downloads/your-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_INSTANCE_IP
```

Replace `YOUR_INSTANCE_IP` with your instance's public IP address (found in the Lightsail console).

## Install dependencies

Once connected to your instance, update the system and install Node.js.

### Update system packages

```bash Terminal
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```

### Install Node.js 22+

OpenClaw requires Node.js version 22 or higher. Install it using NodeSource:

```bash Terminal
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
```

### Verify installation

```bash Terminal
node --version
npm --version
```

You should see Node.js version 22.x.x or higher.

## Install and configure OpenClaw

### Install OpenClaw globally

```bash Terminal
sudo npm install -g openclaw@latest
```

### Run the onboarding wizard

OpenClaw includes an interactive setup wizard:

```bash Terminal
openclaw onboard
```

The wizard guides you through:
- Choosing your AI provider (Anthropic or OpenAI)
- Entering your API key
- Configuring basic settings

### Configure your AI provider

After onboarding, you can customize your configuration. Edit the config file:

```bash Terminal
nano ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
```

#### For Anthropic Claude

```json Anthropic configuration
{
"ai": {
"provider": "anthropic",
"model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
"apiKey": "sk-ant-your-api-key-here"
}
}
```

#### For OpenAI

```json OpenAI configuration
{
"ai": {
"provider": "openai",
"model": "gpt-4o",
"apiKey": "sk-your-api-key-here"
}
}
```

Save the file with `Ctrl+O`, then exit with `Ctrl+X`.

## Set up Telegram integration

### Create a Telegram bot

1. Open Telegram and search for [@BotFather](https://t.me/botfather)
2. Start a chat and send `/newbot`
3. Follow the prompts to:
- Choose a name for your bot (e.g., "My OpenClaw Assistant")
- Choose a username (must end in `bot`, e.g., `myopenclaw_bot`)
4. BotFather responds with your **bot token** - save this securely

### Configure OpenClaw for Telegram

Add the Telegram channel to your OpenClaw configuration:

```bash Terminal
nano ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
```

Update the configuration to include Telegram:

```json Full configuration with Telegram
{
"ai": {
"provider": "anthropic",
"model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
"apiKey": "sk-ant-your-api-key-here"
},
"channels": {
"telegram": {
"enabled": true,
"token": "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN"
}
}
}
```

Replace `YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` with the token from BotFather.

## Extend OpenClaw with skills

Skills extend OpenClaw's capabilities with specialized functionality for onchain interactions.

### Add Base skills with Bankr

The [Bankr skills library](https://github.com/BankrBot/openclaw-skills) provides onchain capabilities for Base, including trading, messaging, and DeFi automation.

```bash Terminal
openclaw skills add https://github.com/BankrBot/openclaw-skills
```

Once installed, interact with Base through natural language:

```text Example conversations
You: "Swap 0.1 ETH for USDC on Base"
OpenClaw: "I'll swap 0.1 ETH for USDC on Base. Current rate: 1 ETH = 2,500 USDC. Proceed?"
```

<Warning>
Configure wallet access with `openclaw config set wallet.privateKey "YOUR_KEY"`. Use a dedicated wallet with limited funds.
</Warning>

### Enable self-learning for onchain actions

Create a skill that teaches OpenClaw to build its own skills when it learns new onchain patterns:

```bash Terminal
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/skill-builder
nano ~/.openclaw/skills/skill-builder/SKILL.md
```

Add the skill definition:

```markdown SKILL.md expandable
---
name: skill-builder
description: Create new OpenClaw skills from successful onchain actions
version: 1.0.0
---

# Skill Builder

Create new skills when you successfully complete onchain actions that could be reusable.

## When to create a skill

- You complete a multi-step onchain workflow successfully
- The user asks you to "remember how to do this"
- You discover a useful pattern for interacting with a smart contract

## How to create a skill

1. Identify the reusable pattern (contract addresses, function calls, parameters)
2. Create a new skill directory: `~/.openclaw/skills/<skill-name>/`
3. Write a SKILL.md file with name, description, instructions, and examples

## Skill template

\`\`\`markdown
---
name: <skill-name>
description: <what the skill does>
version: 1.0.0
chain: base
contracts:
- address: <contract-address>
name: <contract-name>
---

# <Skill Name>

## Usage
<How to invoke this skill>

## Steps
<Step-by-step instructions>
\`\`\`
```

Register the skill:

```bash Terminal
openclaw skills add ~/.openclaw/skills/skill-builder
```

Now your agent creates new skills from successful onchain interactions:

```text Example
You: "Remember how to mint NFTs on that contract we just used"
OpenClaw: "Created skill: nft-minter-0x1234. You can now say 'mint an NFT' anytime."
```

## Running OpenClaw

### Start the agent

Run OpenClaw to start your assistant:

```bash Terminal
openclaw start
```

OpenClaw connects to your configured channels (like Telegram) and starts listening for messages.

### Test your setup

1. Open Telegram and find your bot
2. Send a message like "Hello!"
3. Your OpenClaw assistant should respond

### Access the Gateway Dashboard

OpenClaw includes a Gateway Dashboard UI on port 18789 for monitoring and managing your agent. Since this port isn't exposed publicly, use SSH tunneling to access it securely from your local machine.

**Set up the tunnel:**

```bash Terminal
ssh -i ~/Downloads/your-key.pem -L 18789:localhost:18789 ubuntu@YOUR_INSTANCE_IP
```

This forwards port 18789 on your local machine to the server. While the SSH session is active, open your browser and navigate to:

```
http://localhost:18789
```

<Tip>
To run the tunnel in the background without an interactive shell, add the `-N` flag:

```bash Terminal
ssh -i ~/Downloads/your-key.pem -L 18789:localhost:18789 -N ubuntu@YOUR_INSTANCE_IP
```
</Tip>

<Note>
Ensure port 443 (HTTPS) is open for IPv4 in your Lightsail instance's networking settings. In the Lightsail console, go to your instance → **Networking** → **IPv4 Firewall** and add a rule for HTTPS (port 443).
</Note>

## Security best practices

### Configure the firewall

Enable and configure Ubuntu's firewall (UFW):

```bash Terminal
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status
```

### Protect your API keys

Your API keys are stored in `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`. Ensure proper permissions:

```bash Terminal
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
```

### Use SSH keys only

For enhanced security, disable password authentication:

1. Edit the SSH config:

```bash Terminal
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
```

2. Find and set:

```text sshd_config
PasswordAuthentication no
```

3. Restart SSH:

```bash Terminal
sudo systemctl restart sshd
```

<Warning>
Make sure you can connect with your SSH key before disabling password authentication, or you may lock yourself out.
</Warning>

For more security recommendations, see the [AWS Lightsail security best practices](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lightsail/latest/userguide/understanding-ssh-in-amazon-lightsail.html).


## Resources

- [OpenClaw GitHub repository](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw)
- [OpenClaw documentation](https://openclaw.ai/)
- [Bankr skills library](https://github.com/BankrBot/openclaw-skills)
- [AWS Lightsail documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lightsail/)
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions docs/cookbook/launch-ai-agents.mdx
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---
title: 'Launch AI Agents on Base'
sidebarTitle: 'Launch AI Agents'
description: 'Learn how to build and deploy autonomous AI agents on Base with access to stablecoins, tokens, NFTs, and onchain actions using CDP AgentKit.'
---

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