OpenClaw on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: Production Server Install with Auto-Start 2026

February 25, 2026 14 min read Ubuntu Server OpenClaw

About This Guide: This is a production-grade installation guide for OpenClaw on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) — released April 2024, supported until April 2029. We cover Node.js 22 installation, OpenClaw setup, creating a systemd service for auto-start on boot, journalctl log monitoring, and security hardening. This guide differs from generic Ubuntu/Debian tutorials by focusing on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS-specific features and best practices.

Why Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for OpenClaw Production?

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat" is the current long-term support release, receiving security patches until 2029. It's the gold standard for production server deployments in 2026. Compared to previous Ubuntu versions, 24.04 LTS brings several improvements relevant to OpenClaw:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Advantages

✅ Kernel 6.8 — better ARM64 + x86 performance
✅ systemd 255 — improved service management
✅ OpenSSH 9.6 — enhanced security for remote access
✅ nftables by default — cleaner firewall management
✅ AppArmor profiles — process sandboxing for Node.js
✅ Supported until April 2029 — long-term stability

Ideal Hosting Platforms

• DigitalOcean Droplet (2GB RAM, $12/mo)
• Hetzner CX21 (4GB RAM, €7.49/mo)
• AWS EC2 t3.small (2GB RAM)
• Vultr Cloud (2GB RAM, $12/mo)
• Oracle Cloud Free Tier (4 OCPUs, 24GB RAM!)
• Your own physical server / home lab

Ubuntu 24.04

Noble Numbat

2 GB+

RAM Minimum

Node 22

Required

2029

LTS Support Until

Step 1: Prepare Your Ubuntu 24.04 Server

Start with a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installation. Update all packages and install essential dependencies:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl git wget build-essential ufw fail2ban
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable

Security Note: The ufw firewall is enabled with only SSH allowed. We'll add more ports only as needed. fail2ban automatically bans IPs with too many failed SSH attempts, protecting your server from brute-force attacks.

Step 2: Install Node.js 22 via NodeSource

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships with Node.js 18 in its default apt repository — too old for OpenClaw. Use NodeSource to install the latest Node.js 22 LTS:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
node --version  # Should show v22.x.x
npm --version   # Should show 10.x.x

Ubuntu 24.04 note: Unlike Ubuntu 22.04, Node.js 22 from NodeSource installs cleanly without conflicts on Noble Numbat. No need to remove pre-installed Node.js versions.

Step 3: Create a Dedicated OpenClaw User (Security Best Practice)

Never run OpenClaw as root. Create a dedicated system user with limited privileges:

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash openclaw
sudo passwd openclaw
sudo usermod -aG sudo openclaw
su - openclaw

All subsequent commands should be run as the openclaw user, not root.

Step 4: Install OpenClaw

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw --version
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The --install-daemon flag tells the onboarding wizard to set up OpenClaw as a system service automatically. On Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with systemd, this creates a proper systemd unit file.

What onboarding asks you:

1. AI model preference (Claude / GPT-4 / Gemini)
2. Your API key for the chosen provider
3. Agent name and persona
4. Messaging channel (Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, Discord)
5. Whether to install as a system daemon (select YES)

Step 5: Configure systemd Auto-Start Service

If the onboarding wizard didn't create a systemd service, or you want to customize it, here's how to create one manually. This is Ubuntu 24.04 LTS specific — leveraging systemd 255's improved features:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service

Paste the following service definition:

[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw AI Agent Service
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=openclaw
WorkingDirectory=/home/openclaw
ExecStart=/usr/bin/openclaw start
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=openclaw
Environment=NODE_ENV=production

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable openclaw
sudo systemctl start openclaw
sudo systemctl status openclaw

You should see Active: active (running) in the status output. OpenClaw will now automatically start every time your Ubuntu server boots.

Step 6: Monitor Logs with journalctl

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS's systemd journal is the best way to monitor your OpenClaw agent. Here are the essential commands:

View real-time logs (follow mode):

sudo journalctl -u openclaw -f

View last 100 log lines:

sudo journalctl -u openclaw -n 100 --no-pager

View logs since today with error filtering:

sudo journalctl -u openclaw --since today -p err

Service management commands:

sudo systemctl restart openclaw    # Restart agent
sudo systemctl stop openclaw       # Stop agent
sudo systemctl start openclaw      # Start agent

Step 7: Security Hardening for Production

🔒 Firewall Rules (ufw)

sudo ufw status verbose
sudo ufw allow from YOUR_HOME_IP to any port 22    # Only allow SSH from your IP
sudo ufw deny 22                                    # Block SSH from everywhere else
sudo ufw reload

🔑 SSH Key Authentication Only

Disable password-based SSH login on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
PermitRootLogin no

🌐 VPN07 for Outbound API Security

Install VPN07 on your Ubuntu 24.04 server to encrypt all outbound traffic from OpenClaw to AI APIs. This prevents your API keys from being intercepted and ensures your server's traffic isn't geo-blocked. VPN07's Linux CLI client integrates perfectly with Ubuntu's network management.

Ubuntu 24.04 + OpenClaw Performance

1000Mbps

With VPN07

<1.5s

API Response

99.99%

systemd Uptime

20min

Full Setup Time

Ubuntu 24.04 Specific Issues & Fixes

Service fails with "AppArmor denial"

Cause: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS has stricter AppArmor policies than 22.04.
Fix: Check sudo journalctl -u apparmor and sudo aa-status. If OpenClaw is being blocked, add an AppArmor exception: sudo aa-complain /usr/bin/openclaw

Service starts but OpenClaw can't reach internet

Cause: UFW rules blocking outbound connections, or DNS resolution issues.
Fix: Run sudo ufw status — ensure outbound traffic is allowed (default). Check DNS with nslookup api.anthropic.com. If geo-blocked, install VPN07 for unrestricted outbound routing.

systemd service restarts in a loop

Cause: Missing or invalid API key, or network connectivity issue preventing first-time auth.
Fix: Check logs with journalctl -u openclaw -n 50. Verify your API key is valid, then run openclaw config --reset to redo configuration.

VPN07: The Server Admin's Choice for OpenClaw

Native Linux CLI client — perfect for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS servers

Production OpenClaw servers on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS demand network reliability. VPN07's dedicated Linux CLI client provides 1000Mbps encrypted tunnels to 70+ countries, ensuring your OpenClaw agent's API calls to Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini are never throttled, geo-blocked, or intercepted. With 10 years of proven enterprise reliability and a 30-day money-back guarantee, VPN07 is trusted by thousands of developers running AI agents on Linux servers worldwide. At just $1.5/month, it's the most cost-effective security upgrade for your OpenClaw deployment.

$1.5

Per Month