OpenClaw on Railway

This guide explains how to deploy OpenClaw on Railway, connect your AI agent, configure storage and gateway settings, and manage OpenClaw from the browser.

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What Is OpenClaw on Railway?

OpenClaw on Railway means deploying OpenClaw on Railway’s cloud platform instead of setting it up manually on your own server.

Railway hosts the OpenClaw Gateway, which keeps your OpenClaw agent online and connected. After deployment, you can open the OpenClaw Control UI from your Railway domain and manage your setup directly from the browser.

This makes Railway useful for developers, testers, and technical users who want a faster cloud deployment path without managing a full Linux server, SSH setup, reverse proxy, or manual server configuration.

What You Get After Deploying OpenClaw on Railway

When you deploy OpenClaw on Railway, Railway hosts the OpenClaw Gateway and gives you access to the OpenClaw Control UI through your Railway domain.

After deployment, you can open:

https://<your-railway-domain>/openclaw

After setup, you get:

Hosted OpenClaw Gateway to keep your OpenClaw instance running
OpenClaw Control UI to manage your setup from the browser
Public Railway domain to access your OpenClaw instance
Persistent storage through a Railway Volume mounted at /data
Saved config files, including openclaw.json
Saved auth profiles, including per-agent auth-profiles.json
Saved channel state for connected apps like Telegram or Discord
Saved provider state for model and API setup
Saved sessions so your setup does not reset after every redeploy
Saved workspace for files and agent-related work

Railway vs Local Setup vs Managed OpenClaw Hosting

Feature	Railway	Local Setup	Managed OpenClaw Hosting
Easy to deploy	✅	❌	✅
Runs without your computer staying on	✅	❌	✅
Public URL included	✅	❌	✅
Port setup handled for you	⚠️	❌	✅
Persistent storage handled for you	⚠️	❌	✅
Server setup handled for you	✅	❌	✅
Easier channel connection	⚠️	⚠️	✅
Good for production workflows	⚠️	❌	✅
Updates and maintenance handled	❌	❌	✅
Beginner-friendly	⚠️	❌	✅
Best for non-technical users	❌	❌	✅

Choose Railway if you want a developer-friendly cloud setup.
Choose Local Setup if you only want to test OpenClaw on your own computer.
Choose Managed OpenClaw Hosting Platforms like Ampere.sh if you want the easiest and fastest way to run OpenClaw without hosting work.

How To Deploy OpenClaw on Railway

Open The OpenClaw Railway Template

Go to the OpenClaw Railway template and click Deploy Now.

Railway may ask you to:

Sign in
Create a Railway account
Choose a workspace
Create a new project
Confirm the template deployment

Set SETUP_PASSWORD

On the Railway template page, add a strong value for:

SETUP_PASSWORD

This password protects the browser setup wizard at:

https://<your-railway-domain>/setup

The Railway template wrapper uses SETUP_PASSWORD to protect /setup and /openclaw.

Add Persistent Storage

In your Railway service, add a Volume and mount it at:

/data

This is required because OpenClaw needs persistent storage.

The /data volume helps save:

openclaw.json
per-agent auth-profiles.json
channel state
provider state
sessions
workspace files

Add Storage Variables

In Railway service variables, add:

OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=/data/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR=/data/workspace

These store OpenClaw state and workspace files inside the /data volume.

Add Gateway Variables

Add:

OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=<your-secure-token>

OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080 must match the public networking port.

Keep OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN private because it works like an admin secret.

Enable Public Networking

In Railway, enable HTTP Proxy / Public Networking.

Set the port to:

8080

This lets the Railway route traffic to your OpenClaw service. The official OpenClaw docs require HTTP Proxy on port 8080.

Find Your Railway Domain

After deployment, find your public URL in Railway:

Service → Settings → Domains

Railway may give you a generated domain like:

https://<something>.up.railway.app

Open The Setup Wizard

After deployment, open:

https://<your-railway-domain>/setup

Use the setup wizard to add:

Model provider key
Optional channel tokens
Initial onboarding settings

Open The OpenClaw Control UI

After setup, open:

https://<your-railway-domain>/openclaw

Use your configured secret to connect.

Connect A Channel

Connect your first channel from the setup wizard or Control UI.

Best starting options:

Telegram: easiest because it only needs a bot token
Discord: useful for servers and teams
Slack: useful for workspace workflows

Test Your Agent

Send a simple message from your connected channel:

Hello, are you connected?

If it does not reply, check:

Channel token
Model provider key
Gateway token
Railway logs
/data volume mount
HTTP Proxy port

Create A Backup

After everything works, run:

openclaw backup create

Common Problems And Fixes

Problem	Reason	Fix
Control UI does not open	Wrong URL or missing /openclaw path	Open https://<your-railway-domain>/openclaw
502 Bad Gateway error	Railway port is not configured correctly	Enable HTTP Proxy and set port to 8080
Gateway token not working	Wrong or mismatched token	Check OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN in Railway variables
Data lost after redeploy	Railway Volume is missing	Mount a Railway Volume at /data
Config or sessions not saved	State directory is not using persistent storage	Set OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=/data/.openclaw
Workspace files disappear	Workspace is not stored inside /data	Set OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR=/data/workspace
Telegram bot does not reply	Wrong bot token or incomplete channel setup	Recheck Telegram bot token and channel config
Discord bot does not respond	Missing permissions or wrong bot token	Check Discord bot token, permissions, and server access
Agent does not respond	Channel or model provider is not configured	Recheck channel setup and add a valid model API key

FAQs About OpenClaw on Railway

1. How do I deploy OpenClaw on Railway?

Use the OpenClaw Railway template, set the required variables, mount a Volume at /data, enable HTTP Proxy on port 8080, then open /setup or /openclaw from your Railway domain.

2. What is the OpenClaw Railway template?

The OpenClaw Railway template is a one-click deployment template that helps you run OpenClaw on Railway without manually setting up a full VPS.

3. Why does OpenClaw need a /data volume on Railway?

OpenClaw needs the /data volume to save config, auth profiles, channel state, provider state, sessions, and workspace files after redeploys.

4. Why is my OpenClaw gateway token not working?

Your token may not match the gateway config. Check OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN in Railway variables and make sure you are using the same token in the Control UI.

5. Can I connect Discord to OpenClaw on Railway?

Yes. You can connect Discord after OpenClaw is deployed. Check the Discord bot token, bot permissions, and server access if the bot does not respond.

6. Can I connect Slack to OpenClaw on Railway?

Yes. The Railway template mentions Slack as one of the supported chat channel options. You need the correct Slack token and workspace permissions.

7. What is the easiest way to run OpenClaw without Railway setup?

Managed OpenClaw hosting platforms like Ampere.sh are easier if you want to run OpenClaw without managing Railway variables, volumes, ports, server setup, or hosting maintenance.

Run OpenClaw Without Railway Setup

Want OpenClaw running without managing ports, tokens, and server settings? Use Ampere.sh to deploy OpenClaw faster and focus on real workflows instead of hosting problems.

Deploy OpenClaw Now