How to Install OpenClaw on AWS Ubuntu Server in One Command (Complete Guide)

If you've tried installing OpenClaw locally or on a small cloud server, you've probably run into at least one of these:

• Installation failing midway
• UI not loading in browser
• Build failing midway
• System hanging during setup
• Out of memory errors on smaller instances

This usually happens when OpenClaw is installed on low-RAM environments like t2.micro or t3.micro virtual servers.

So I decided to install and setup OpenClaw on an AWS virtual server — in the simplest possible way — using just one command that handles everything automatically.

After testing multiple instance types, t3.large turned out to be a solid sweet spot.

With:

• 2 vCPU
• 8 GB RAM

…it runs OpenClaw smoothly without any performance issues.

In this tutorial, I'll show you exactly how to install and setup OpenClaw on an Ubuntu virtual server and access its UI in your browser step-by-step.

Step 1 — Launch Virtual Server Instance

Create a new EC2 virtual server instance with the following configuration:

• Instance Type: t3.large
• AMI: Ubuntu Server 22.04
• Storage: 30 GB

Security Group Configuration

Add the following inbound rules:

• SSH → 22
• HTTP → 80
• HTTPS → 443
• Custom TCP → 3000

Port 3000 is required to access the OpenClaw Web UI.

Step 2 — Connect to Virtual Server

ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

Step 3 — Update the Server

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 4 — Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw provides a simple one-line installation script that handles everything automatically.

Run this command:

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

This script will:

• Detect your operating system and install compatible versions
• Clone the OpenClaw repository
• Set up all required configurations
• Start OpenClaw automatically

Wait for the installation to complete. This may take a few minutes depending on your server's internet speed.

Once finished, OpenClaw will be running and ready to use.

Step 5 — Access OpenClaw in Browser

Open:

http://YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:3000

If everything is configured correctly, the OpenClaw UI should load in your browser.

Step 6 — (Optional but Recommended) Use Domain with SSL

To make your installation production-ready:

• Point your domain (via Cloudflare or any DNS provider) to your virtual server's Public IP
• Setup Nginx reverse proxy
• Install SSL using Certbot

This allows you to access OpenClaw securely using:

https://openclaw.yourdomain.com

instead of:

http://YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:3000

Why Use the Official Installer?

The OpenClaw installer script handles everything automatically:

• Detects your operating system and installs compatible versions
• Sets up all required dependencies and configurations
• Eliminates manual setup errors and version conflicts
• Gets you up and running in minutes instead of hours

Conclusion

You now have OpenClaw installed and setup on your AWS virtual server and accessible from your browser.

If you're just testing OpenClaw and want to reduce cost, you can also try running it on a t3.medium instance with swap memory enabled — but for stable performance, t3.large remains the recommended option.

Happy coding! 🚀