What hardware can run an OpenClaw Gateway, what you trade off at each tier, and what to actually buy if you're starting from zero.
Setup
Five environments, one packaging method, one hardware matrix. Pick where OpenClaw will run — most people start on a laptop or a Pi 5. Every page has runnable commands you can paste, plus sanity-checks and the "what to do when it goes wrong" section we wished existed when learning. Each declares whether we've actually run it; right now everything's sourced because Sush hasn't run his first OpenClaw yet — pages flip to tested as he runs them.
Verification mix 6 sourced 6 entries total
2.1 sourced 2026-05-07
2.3 sourced 2026-05-07
Get an OpenClaw Gateway running on your laptop in about 25 minutes. Mac, Linux desktop, or Windows (via WSL2).
2.4 sourced 2026-05-07
Install OpenClaw on a Linux server (cloud VM, home server, NUC). systemd setup, firewall posture, common pitfalls for headless boxes.
2.5 sourced 2026-05-07
Run an OpenClaw Gateway on Azure — Container Apps for serverless-ish, VM for full control. Cost notes, networking, security posture, Microsoft disclosure.
2.6 sourced 2026-05-07
Run an OpenClaw Gateway on a Pi 4 or Pi 5. RAM constraints, model choice (small local vs API), thermal/power notes, the always-on home agent setup.
2.7 sourced 2026-05-07
Docker is a packaging method, not a peer environment. Use it to wrap any of the other setup paths (Linux server, Azure, NAS) in a portable container. Compose file + volume layout for SOUL.md persistence.