OpenClaw Requirements

Hardware and software requirements for running OpenClaw.

Hardware Requirements

Minimum

  • • 4 GB RAM
  • • 64-bit processor
  • • 1 GB disk space
  • • Internet connection

Recommended

  • • 8 GB RAM
  • • Modern 64-bit processor
  • • 5+ GB disk space
  • • Stable internet connection

Software Requirements

Required

  • Node.js 22+JavaScript runtime
  • macOS / Linux / WindowsOperating system
  • API KeyOpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or MiniMax

Optional

  • DockerFor containerized deployment
  • OllamaFor local AI models
  • Nginx / CaddyFor reverse proxy

Model-Specific Requirements

Cloud Models (API-based)

Use OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or MiniMax APIs. No special hardware needed.

  • • Just need an API key
  • • Internet connection required
  • • Pay per token usage

Local Models (Ollama)

Run AI models on your own hardware.

  • • GPU recommended (16GB+ VRAM)
  • • Or CPU-only (slower)
  • • No API costs after setup
  • • Models: Llama 3.3, Qwen 2.5 Coder, Mistral

Platform-Specific

Network Requirements

  • • Outbound HTTPS (port 443) to model providers
  • • Outbound WebSocket for real-time messaging
  • • For reverse proxy: ports 80/443
  • • Local port 18789 for gateway (default)

Next Steps