Deploy OpenClaw on DigitalOcean App Platform
A fully managed deployment with elastic scaling, safe defaults, and zero infrastructure management. Designed for teams moving from prototype to sustained production — you control agent behavior, model selection, and channel configuration while App Platform handles everything else.
Estimated time: 10 minutes | Cost: $5-20/month | Difficulty: Beginner
Why App Platform?
- Elastic scaling — automatically scales up under load and back down when quiet
- Zero infrastructure management — no servers to patch, no systemd to configure
- Safe defaults — security hardening, SSL, and networking handled for you
- Git integration — push to deploy with automatic builds
- Built-in monitoring — metrics, logs, and alerts out of the box
Step 1: Create the App
- Log in to your DigitalOcean dashboard
- Click Create > Apps
- Select OpenClaw from the app catalog (or connect your own repo if you have a custom configuration)
- Choose your plan:
| Plan | RAM | vCPU | Monthly Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 512 MB | 1 | $5 | Testing and development |
| Basic | 1 GB | 1 | $10 | Single agent, light production |
| Professional | 2 GB | 1 | $20 | Production with scaling |
Step 2: Configure Environment Variables
In the app settings, add your environment variables:
| Variable | Value |
|---|---|
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Your Anthropic API key |
OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL | info (or debug for troubleshooting) |
Add any additional provider keys or configuration as needed.
Step 3: Deploy
Click Create Resources and App Platform will:
- Build your app container
- Configure networking and SSL
- Start your OpenClaw instance
- Provide you with a
.ondigitalocean.appURL
The deploy typically takes 2-3 minutes.
Managing Your App
Scaling
From the App Platform dashboard, you can:
- Scale vertically by changing the plan size
- Scale horizontally by adding more instances (Professional plan)
- App Platform handles load balancing automatically
Deployments
If you connected a Git repo:
# Push to trigger a new deploy
git push origin main
Or trigger manual deploys from the dashboard.
Logs and Monitoring
- Runtime Logs: Available in the dashboard under your app's Runtime Logs tab
- Insights: CPU, memory, and request metrics are tracked automatically
- Alerts: Configure alerts for high resource usage or app crashes
Cost Breakdown
App Platform pricing is straightforward — you pay for the plan you choose, and scaling is automatic:
- $5/mo: Development and testing
- $10/mo: Light production use
- $20/mo: Production with auto-scaling
Additional costs: LLM API usage (typically $10-100+/month depending on agent activity).
No separate charges for SSL, networking, or load balancing — it's all included.
Next Steps
- Custom domain: Add your own domain from the app settings with automatic SSL
- Multiple agents: Scale horizontally on the Professional plan for concurrent agent workloads
- CI/CD: Connect your GitHub repo for push-to-deploy workflows
- For full manual control, see the Manual Droplet Guide