Platform setup

How to Deploy OpenClaw on Railway

3 min read

Browse more in Platform setup.

All platform setup guides →

This guide walks you through deploying OpenClaw on Railway using the official one-click template. You use Railway to host the OpenClaw Gateway and Control UI without managing a server shell.

By the end, you expose OpenClaw over HTTPS on your Railway domain with persistent storage and a shared secret protecting the gateway.

Setup flow

Prerequisites

  • ✓A Railway account with permission to deploy services and attach a Volume.
  • ✓Access to the OpenClaw Railway template at https://railway.com/deploy/clawdbot-railway-template.
  • ✓An admin-grade secret you can use for OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN.
  • ✓A browser that can reach your Railway service domain (for the Control UI at /openclaw).

Steps

  1. 1

    Deploy the OpenClaw template on Railway

    Start from the official template so Railway wires up the container and default settings for you. This avoids manual Docker or build configuration and gives you a working Gateway and Control UI out of the box.

    text
    https://railway.com/deploy/clawdbot-railway-template
  2. 2

    Attach a persistent Volume at /data

    Attach a Railway Volume and mount it at /data so your OpenClaw state survives restarts and redeploys. Without this, config files, auth profiles, and workspace data reset every time the service rebuilds.

    text
    /data
  3. 3

    Configure required OpenClaw variables

    Set the OpenClaw-specific environment variables on the Railway service so the Gateway binds to the right port and knows where to store state. The token acts as an admin secret, so treat it like a password.

    text
    OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=/data/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR=/data/workspace
  4. 4

    Enable HTTP Proxy on port 8080

    Expose the Gateway over HTTPS by enabling Railway's HTTP Proxy on the same port OpenClaw listens on. If the port numbers do not match, the Control UI at /openclaw will not be reachable from the internet.

    text
    Port: 8080
  5. 5

    Open the Control UI on your Railway domain

    Once Railway deploys, grab the public URL from the service Domains page and append /openclaw. Use the shared secret you configured (OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN by default) to connect to the gateway.

    text
    https://<your-railway-domain>/openclaw
  6. 6

    Connect a messaging channel to your agent

    Use the Control UI or Railway’s shell to run openclaw onboard and follow the channel-specific instructions. Starting with Telegram is fastest because it only needs a bot token.

    bash
    openclaw onboard
  7. 7

    Create backups for migration or recovery

    Use the built-in backup command to export your state, config, auth profiles, and workspace into a portable archive. This makes it straightforward to migrate to another platform or restore after a mistake.

    bash
    openclaw backup create

Configuration

OptionDescriptionExample
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORTPort the OpenClaw Gateway listens on inside the Railway service; must match the HTTP Proxy port.8080
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKENAdmin shared secret the Control UI uses to authenticate to the Gateway.claw-admin-shared-secret-123
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIRDirectory where OpenClaw stores gateway state, config, auth profiles, and sessions./data/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIRDirectory where OpenClaw stores workspace files that should persist across deploys./data/workspace

Troubleshooting

You open https://<your-railway-domain>/openclaw and the page does not load.

Railway is likely not proxying the correct port. In your service Public Networking settings, enable HTTP Proxy and set the Port to 8080, then confirm OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080 in your variables so they match.

bash
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080

After redeploying the Railway service, your agents, auth profiles, or workspace files are missing.

OpenClaw needs a Volume mounted at /data to persist state. openclaw and OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR=/data/workspace so state and workspace survive redeploys.

bash
/data

Frequently asked questions

Powered by Mem0

Add persistent memory to OpenClaw

Official Mem0 plugin for OpenClaw keeps context across chats and tools. Smaller prompts, lower cost, better continuity for your agents.

Read the official Mem0 guideOpen Mem0

More in Platform setup

Platform setup

How to Deploy OpenClaw on Northflank

Platform setup

How to Deploy OpenClaw on Render

Platform setup

How to Install OpenClaw on Linux

Platform setup

How to Install OpenClaw with Nix

Platform setup

How to Run OpenClaw with Podman

Platform setup

How to Deploy OpenClaw on Kubernetes