How to Install OpenClaw on Linux?

Linux is the primary platform for OpenClaw and offers the smoothest installation experience. Ubuntu 22.04+ is the recommended distribution, but Debian, Fedora, CentOS, and Arch Linux all work fine.

The one-line install script handles everything: it detects your distribution, installs Node.js 22 via nvm if needed, downloads the latest OpenClaw release, and sets up the binary. After installation, run the onboarding wizard to configure your model and messenger.

For production servers, always create a dedicated non-root user for running OpenClaw. This limits the agent's permissions and improves security. Set up a systemd service for automatic restart on crashes and boot.

If you're running Ubuntu/Debian, the installer can also configure a systemd service automatically. For other distributions, you may need to create the service file manually — the docs provide templates for all major init systems.

Firewall configuration is important for production: open only the ports you need (Gateway default: 18789) and restrict SSH access to your IP. If you're exposing the Dashboard to the internet, put it behind Nginx with HTTPS.

Linux gives you the most control and best performance for OpenClaw. It's the recommended platform for any serious deployment.

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.sh/install | bash

openclaw onboard

# Set up systemd service
openclaw service install
sudo systemctl enable openclaw
sudo systemctl start openclaw