In This Article
Introduction
AWS is a popular choice for running OpenClaw. EC2 offers simple, flexible hosting. ECS provides container orchestration for multi-agent setups. Here's what we're covering: AWS deployment patterns and region selection for data residency: step-by-step EC2 setup, ECS configuration, cost optimization, and real deployment examples.
Whether you're running a single agent for your business or scaling to multiple agents across regions, you'll find actionable steps. We'll cover instance sizing, security groups, Secrets Manager, and the cost numbers that matter for OpenClaw on AWS.
EC2 Deployment: Step-by-Step
Launch an EC2 instance (t3.small or larger for moderate use). Install Docker, pull OpenClaw, mount config and memory volumes. Use an Elastic IP for stable addressing. Consider Spot instances for cost savings if your workload tolerates interruption — OpenClaw can restart and resume from memory.
Step 1: Choose AMI. Amazon Linux 2 or Ubuntu 22.04. Both have good Docker support. Ubuntu is familiar to many developers.
Step 2: Instance type. t3.small (2 vCPU, 2GB RAM): $15–20/month. Sufficient for single agent, cloud LLM. t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB): $30–40/month. For Ollama + OpenClaw, use t3.medium or larger. Memory matters for local models.
Step 3: Storage. 20–30GB gp3. Config and memory are small. Logs can grow. 30GB is safe.
Step 4: Security group. Inbound: 22 (SSH) from your IP. 3000 (if web UI) from your IP or VPN. Outbound: 443 (HTTPS) for API calls, Telegram, Slack, etc. Restrict tightly.
Step 5: Launch. Use key pair for SSH. Connect: ssh -i key.pem ec2-user@
Step 6: Deploy OpenClaw. docker run -d --restart unless-stopped -v ./config:/app/config -e OPENAI_API_KEY=... openclaw/openclaw. Use Elastic IP so IP doesn't change on restart.
Spot instances. 60–70% cheaper. Can be interrupted. OpenClaw persists to disk — restart and resume. Good for non-critical workloads. Set up Spot with persistence.
ECS Deployment
ECS runs Docker containers at scale. Deploy OpenClaw as an ECS service with Fargate for serverless containers or EC2-backed for more control. Use ECS for multiple agent instances, each with its own config. Secrets Manager stores API keys securely.
Fargate. No server management. Specify CPU/memory. 0.25 vCPU, 0.5GB: ~$15/month. 0.5 vCPU, 1GB: ~$30/month. Good for single agent. Limitations: no persistent local storage by default. Use EFS for config/memory if needed.
EC2-backed ECS. More control. Attach EBS for persistence. Use for Ollama + OpenClaw. Cheaper at scale. More ops overhead.
Task definition. Container: openclaw image. Environment: pull from Secrets Manager. Volumes: EFS or host for config. Log configuration: CloudWatch.
Secrets. Store OPENAI_API_KEY in Secrets Manager. ECS task role has permission. Reference in task definition: secrets: [{name: OPENAI_API_KEY, valueFrom: arn:aws:secretsmanager:...}]. Never in task definition plaintext.
Region Selection
Choose regions based on data residency and latency. US: us-east-1 (N. Virginia), us-west-2 (Oregon). EU: eu-central-1 (Frankfurt), eu-west-1 (Ireland). APAC: ap-southeast-1 (Singapore), ap-northeast-1 (Tokyo). Australian businesses: ap-southeast-2 (Sydney). Indian: ap-south-1 (Mumbai).
Latency. us-east-1 to OpenAI: excellent (OpenAI is on AWS). eu-central-1 for EU data residency. Match region to your users and compliance.
Pricing. us-east-1 often cheapest. Other regions have slight premium. Data transfer: same-region free, cross-region costs.
Cost Optimization
Reserved instances or Savings Plans reduce EC2 cost. Use Spot for non-critical workloads. Right-size instances — OpenClaw is not always CPU-heavy. Monitor API costs separately; they often exceed infrastructure cost.
Real numbers. EC2 t3.small: ~$15/month. EBS 30GB: ~$3/month. Data transfer: minimal for typical use. Total infra: ~$20–25/month. API: $30–100/month. Total: $50–125/month for single agent.
Savings. 1-year Reserved t3.small: ~40% discount. Savings Plans: flexible across instance types. Spot: 60–70% discount, interruptible.
Implementation Checklist
- □ Choose region for data residency
- □ Launch EC2 or create ECS cluster
- □ Configure security group. Minimal inbound
- □ Store API keys in Secrets Manager
- □ Deploy with Docker. Mount config volume
- □ Set up Elastic IP (EC2) for stable access
- □ Configure CloudWatch logging
- □ Document runbook for team
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Pitfall 1: Wrong region. Default is often us-east-1. If you need EU data residency, use eu-central-1. Check before launch.
Pitfall 2: No persistence. Fargate tasks are ephemeral. Use EFS for config/memory or you'll lose state on task restart.
Pitfall 3: API keys in task definition. Never. Use Secrets Manager. Plaintext keys get committed, logged, exposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use AWS Lambda for OpenClaw? OpenClaw is a long-running process. Lambda is event-driven, short-lived. Not a natural fit. Use EC2 or ECS. Lambda could trigger OpenClaw via API, but OpenClaw itself needs a persistent host.
What about AWS Bedrock? Bedrock offers Claude and other models. OpenClaw can use Bedrock as LLM provider. Keeps everything in AWS. Check OpenClaw docs for Bedrock integration.
How do I backup OpenClaw on EC2? EBS snapshots of the volume containing config. Or: sync config to S3 periodically. aws s3 sync ./config s3://your-bucket/openclaw-config/.
Can I use AWS Free Tier? t2.micro (1GB RAM) is too small for OpenClaw. t3.micro might work for very light use with cloud LLM only. Expect limitations. t3.small is minimum recommended.
What about AWS GovCloud? Yes, for US government workloads. Same patterns. GovCloud has specific compliance. Use when required.
Wrapping Up
AWS provides reliable, scalable hosting for OpenClaw. EC2 for simplicity, ECS for orchestration. Choose region for compliance. Optimize costs with Reserved/Spot. OpenClaw Consult helps design AWS architectures for your requirements — we've deployed for startups and enterprises across US, EU, and APAC.