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For a Linux VPS, the dependable OpenClaw pattern is to let a service manager restart the Gateway and to keep the Gateway state, agent databases, credentials, and workspaces on storage that survives process or container replacement. A native installation uses openclaw onboard --install-daemon, which installs an OpenClaw systemd user service. The documented systemd checklist uses Restart=always, RestartSec=5, and, on slow hosts, TimeoutStartSec=90.
Those settings only relaunch a process. They cannot recover data that lived inside a disposable container or on a lost disk. Treat the VPS as the live source of truth, back up state plus workspace with OpenClaw’s archive command, keep at least one encrypted copy away from the VPS, and test that a restore can be staged on a fresh host.
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There are two separate failure classes. A restart failure means the Gateway process exits, hangs during startup, or fails after a reboot. A storage failure means the process comes back but its state, credentials, agent history, or workspace has disappeared. Solve the first with a service manager and the second with persistent paths and verified backups.
- Process availability: systemd or a container-generated service starts OpenClaw at boot and relaunches it after an eligible failure.
- State continuity: the VPS keeps the state directory, agent databases, credentials, configuration, and workspace on durable host storage.
- Disaster recovery: a supported archive is copied off the VPS, protected with encryption and access controls, and is usable for rebuilding a fresh state tree.
- Administrative security: the Gateway remains on loopback unless you deliberately configure an authenticated network path.
OpenClaw’s Linux server guidance summarizes the operating model as: “Treat the VPS as the source of truth and back up the state + workspace regularly.” A restart policy is not a backup policy, and a backup archive is not an active deployment until it has been restored and activated.
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Choose how the Gateway will run
Use one process supervisor for the Gateway. Mixing a native user service with a second Docker or Podman deployment on the same ports makes failures and data ownership difficult to diagnose.
| Deployment | Boot and restart owner | Persistence concern | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native Linux install | OpenClaw-managed systemd user unit | State and workspace live directly on the VPS filesystem; protect those paths with backups. | A host where Node and OpenClaw are installed locally. |
| Podman | A generated Quadlet user service | Host-mounted persistent paths must remain available when the container is recreated. | Users who want a rootless, containerized Gateway managed by systemd. |
| Docker | Docker Compose and Docker Engine | Container replacement is safe only when the deployment’s volumes or bind mounts point to durable host storage. | An isolated Gateway or a host without a local OpenClaw installation. |
OpenClaw describes Docker as optional. Docker Engine or Docker Desktop and Compose v2 are required, and operators of public VPS hosts should review network-exposure hardening before publishing any port. The exact volume mapping can vary by release, so use the current OpenClaw Docker installation guide for the Compose file used by your deployment rather than guessing a mount path.
Install and harden the native systemd service
1. Install the managed user unit
On a standard Linux installation, run:
openclaw onboard --install-daemonThis creates the OpenClaw-managed systemd user unit. Confirm that the unit exists and inspect its current state:
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service
systemctl --user is-enabled openclaw-gateway.serviceThe unit is a user service, so run these commands as the same Linux account that owns the OpenClaw state. Do not replace the generated unit with a hand-written copy just to add restart settings; updates may change the canonical unit body.
2. Use the documented restart policy
The VPS checklist identifies Restart=always and RestartSec=5 as the generic policy for the managed unit. In practical terms, systemd waits five seconds after an eligible exit and starts the Gateway again. This handles ordinary process crashes and reboots, but it does not override an explicit status that systemd is configured to prevent from restarting.
For a host with slow disks or a cold runtime, the same checklist allows TimeoutStartSec=90. Treat that as a startup allowance, not a performance guarantee. An SSD-backed state and cache path can reduce random-I/O delays during a cold start.
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Edit the managed service through a systemd drop-in:
systemctl --user edit openclaw-gateway.serviceAdd only the settings that apply to your host:
[Service]
Environment=OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
Environment=NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
TimeoutStartSec=90OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1 keeps routine Gateway restarts in-process instead of adding another respawn layer. NODE_COMPILE_CACHE gives repeated command starts a reusable compile cache; the first run still has to warm it. Keep the cache on a writable path with enough space, and avoid placing state or backups in a temporary directory.
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After saving a drop-in, restart the user service and verify the effective configuration:
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.serviceThe drop-in is the supported place for host-specific environment variables and timeout changes. Leave the generic restart directives in the managed unit unless the current OpenClaw runbook tells you otherwise.
4. Check logs after a reboot
Before declaring the setup reliable, reboot during a maintenance window and inspect the user-service logs:
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -b
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.serviceLook for a clean start, the expected state path, successful credential loading, and a listening Gateway. A process that is active but points to an empty home directory is a storage configuration failure, not a restart success.
Understand the systemd configuration-stop condition
Linux systemd units use RestartPreventExitStatus=78 for a configuration problem. If OpenClaw exits with that status, systemd intentionally stops relaunching it until the underlying configuration is corrected. This prevents a bad configuration from producing an endless restart loop.
When restart attempts stop:
- Run
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.serviceand note the exit status and recent error. - Read the boot-specific journal with
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -b. - Correct the named configuration, path, permission, or credential issue.
- Reload and start the unit again with
systemctl --user daemon-reloadfollowed bysystemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service. - Confirm that the Gateway remains active instead of merely observing one successful launch.
Do not treat a stopped restart loop as evidence that Restart=always failed; exit status 78 is a deliberate safety condition.
Run OpenClaw with Podman and Quadlet
Podman is an alternative deployment, not a different set of defaults for the native unit. OpenClaw’s Podman procedure generates a Quadlet user service. The generated service uses Restart=on-failure and TimeoutStartSec=300, so those values should not be presented as the native systemd settings.
Enable boot startup on a headless host
User services normally depend on a login session. For an SSH-only VPS, enable user lingering for the account that owns the Quadlet:
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sudo loginctl enable-linger "$(whoami)"After editing the Quadlet file, load the generated unit and restart it:
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user restart openclaw.service
systemctl --user status openclaw.serviceUse the service name generated by the Quadlet file. Verify that the container’s state and workspace are host-mounted to durable locations; a container filesystem alone is not a persistence plan. Keep the archive destination outside the container as well.
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Use Docker only with explicit persistent mounts
Docker can isolate the Gateway or provide a convenient deployment on a host without a local OpenClaw installation. It requires Docker Engine or Desktop and Compose v2. Before starting it on a public VPS, review which ports are published and whether the host firewall, reverse proxy, and Gateway authentication match your threat model.
The critical question is what survives docker compose down, image updates, and container replacement. The current OpenClaw Docker guide’s Compose file defines the release-specific mounts; follow that file exactly and confirm that state, credentials, agent directories, and workspaces resolve to a persistent host path or managed volume. Do not infer a volume mapping from an older example.
For an ephemeral container host, write OpenClaw backup archives to a host path, external disk, or offsite destination. An archive left only in the container disappears with the container and cannot serve as disaster recovery.
Know which OpenClaw data must persist
OpenClaw’s authoritative state is SQLite-based and is distributed across more than one location:
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~/.openclaw. - Each configured agent has a database at
<agentDir>/openclaw-agent.sqlite. - Agent directories usually sit beneath the state directory, but configuration can place them elsewhere. External agent directories must be included explicitly in your storage and backup plan.
- Workspaces contain the files your agents operate on and are part of the live VPS state.
- When cold transcript storage is enabled, older transcript payloads are kept in immutable compressed files. Those files also need to be captured by an OpenClaw backup.
Keep these paths on a durable VPS disk with sufficient capacity and permissions. A bind mount that points to a temporary directory, an unmounted volume, or a newly created empty home directory can make a healthy Gateway appear to have lost its history.
Create a verified backup without corrupting SQLite
Never protect a running OpenClaw installation by copying its live SQLite files with a generic recursive file copy. SQLite may have active write-ahead-log, shared-memory, or journal files; copying only the main database file can produce an inconsistent backup.
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Use OpenClaw’s archive command instead:
openclaw backup create --output ~/Backups/openclaw --verifyThis creates a timestamped compressed archive containing state, configuration, credentials, configured agent directories, and, by default, workspaces. The --verify option validates the archive manifest and payload before the command completes. Keep the output directory on storage that is not the state directory itself, so a damaged state tree does not also destroy the only archive.
Schedule Gateway-owned archives
For recurring protection, configure and initialize a named storage destination, test that the Gateway can write to it, and then enable retention. An example schedule is:
openclaw backup enable --to offsite --every 24h --keep-daily 7 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 12The destination’s credentials and encryption passphrase must be available to the Gateway process, not merely to an interactive shell. The backup guide describes filesystem storage and a Cloudflare R2 plugin as examples. Choose a destination whose access policy, region, retention behavior, and costs suit your operation; neither example is universally best.
Compare backup destinations by failure they survive
| Destination | Survives VPS loss? | Protection required | Restore use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Another directory on the same VPS | No. A disk or provider failure can remove both copies. | Filesystem permissions and encryption; useful for quick rollback only. | Use the archive with openclaw backup restore after fixing the host. |
| External SSD or hard drive | Only if it is physically separate and not lost with the VPS. | Encrypt the drive, restrict access, and keep it disconnected or in a separate location when practical. | Copy the archive to the replacement host, then stage it with the restore command. |
| Offsite filesystem or object storage | Yes, if its account and region remain available. | Encryption, least-privilege credentials, retention, and an independent recovery account. | Fetch an archive to a fresh host and run the supported restore procedure. |
| Container-local path | No. Replacing the container removes the archive. | Move archives outside the container before declaring a backup successful. | Rebuild persistent storage, copy the archive in, and restore. |
A local external disk is useful for fast recovery, but it does not replace an offsite copy if the VPS and the disk can be lost together. Retention should preserve enough daily, weekly, and monthly points to cover the period in which a silent corruption or accidental deletion might be discovered.
Restore OpenClaw after a failed VPS or container
openclaw backup restore is the disaster-recovery primitive for rebuilding a fresh persistent state tree. Restore stages files; it does not automatically activate the restored deployment or decide which service manager should run it.
- Provision a replacement VPS or a new persistent host directory with the required OpenClaw runtime.
- Install the same deployment style you intend to operate: native systemd, Podman Quadlet, or Docker Compose.
- Make the verified archive available from the offsite destination or a separate disk.
- Run
openclaw backup restoreusing the archive and destination options documented for the deployed release. - Confirm that the restored state directory, configured external agent directories, credentials, and workspaces have the expected ownership and permissions.
- Activate the restored tree in the service or container configuration, then start the Gateway.
- Check agent history, channel/provider credentials, workspace files, and logs before reconnecting production traffic.
Because activation is a separate deployment step, a successful restore command alone does not prove that the running Gateway is using the restored data.
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The secure default is loopback binding. Reach the Gateway through an SSH tunnel or Tailscale Serve rather than exposing its listener directly to the internet. Harden the VPS’s SSH administration path separately with appropriate keys, updates, firewall rules, and limited administrative access.
If you bind the Gateway to lan or tailnet, require a shared Gateway token or password unless a trusted proxy is explicitly responsible for authentication. A non-loopback listener without authentication turns a restart project into a remote-control risk.
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Backups contain authentication profiles, channel and provider credentials, session history, and other sensitive records. Encrypt the destination, restrict it as carefully as the live state directory, and rotate credentials if an archive may have leaked.
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Validate the setup before relying on it
- Reboot test: restart the VPS and confirm that the user service or generated container service starts without an interactive login.
- Failure test: stop the Gateway in a maintenance window and verify that the configured policy relaunches it; do not use an exit status 78 configuration failure as the test.
- Path test: record the actual state directory, every configured external agent directory, workspace path, and backup destination.
- Archive test: run
openclaw backup create --output ~/Backups/openclaw --verifyand inspect the verification result. - Offsite test: confirm that the Gateway can authenticate to the named destination and that retention creates the expected archive set.
- Restore test: stage an archive on a non-production host and verify that activation uses the restored state rather than an empty default directory.
- Security test: from an untrusted network, confirm that loopback-only access is not publicly reachable, or that any non-loopback path requires the configured token, password, or trusted proxy.
Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The Gateway does not return after reboot
Check the correct supervisor first. For native installation use systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service; for Podman inspect openclaw.service; for Docker inspect the Compose service. On a headless user service, verify lingering with loginctl show-user "$(whoami)" -p Linger. Then read the boot journal and correct permissions, missing environment variables, or unavailable mounts.
It restarts repeatedly and then stops
Inspect the exit code. Status 78 indicates the systemd configuration-stop condition, so fix the reported configuration instead of increasing restart frequency. For ordinary crashes, read the complete journal, check disk space and ownership, and confirm that the state path is writable.
The Gateway starts with no history
Compare the running process’s configured home and state paths with the paths used before the reboot or container replacement. An unmounted volume or a changed Linux user commonly creates a new empty state tree. Restore the verified archive only after identifying the intended persistent paths.
A backup exists but cannot be restored
Confirm that it was produced by openclaw backup create or another supported snapshot method, rather than a raw copy of live SQLite files. Check the archive verification result, encryption passphrase, destination credentials, and available disk space on the replacement host.
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Startup is slow on a cold host
Allow up to the documented TimeoutStartSec=90 for a native service or the Podman-generated TimeoutStartSec=300 where appropriate. Put state and cache paths on SSD-backed storage, use NODE_COMPILE_CACHE for repeated command startup, and investigate I/O or mount delays instead of masking a broken configuration with an unlimited timeout.
A practical operating pattern
For most Linux VPS operators, start with the native service: install it with openclaw onboard --install-daemon, retain the managed restart policy, add only necessary settings through systemctl --user edit openclaw-gateway.service, and keep the Gateway on loopback behind SSH tunneling or Tailscale access. Put state, configured agent directories, workspaces, and caches on durable storage.
If you choose Podman, enable user lingering and verify the generated Quadlet’s host mounts. If you choose Docker, treat the Compose file’s persistent volumes as a release-specific requirement and keep all archives outside a replaceable container. In every deployment, create verified OpenClaw archives, send copies off the VPS, protect them like credentials, and perform a restore test before an outage makes the decision for you.
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