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OpenClaw on Azure Linux VM

This guide sets up an Azure Linux VM, applies Network Security Group (NSG) hardening, configures Azure Bastion (managed Azure SSH entry point), and installs OpenClaw.

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What you’ll do

  • Deploy Azure compute and network resources with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates
  • Apply Azure Network Security Group (NSG) rules so VM SSH is allowed only from Azure Bastion
  • Use Azure Bastion for SSH access
  • Install OpenClaw with the installer script
  • Verify the Gateway

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Before you start

You’ll need:
  • An Azure subscription with permission to create compute and network resources
  • Azure CLI installed (see Azure CLI install steps if needed)

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1) Sign in to Azure CLI

az login # Sign in and select your Azure subscription
az extension add -n ssh # Extension required for Azure Bastion SSH management

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2) Register required resource providers (one-time)

az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Compute
az provider register --namespace Microsoft.Network
Verify Azure resource provider registration. Wait until both show Registered. 
az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Compute --query registrationState -o tsv
az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Network --query registrationState -o tsv

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3) Set deployment variables

RG="rg-openclaw"
LOCATION="westus2"
TEMPLATE_URI="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/infra/azure/templates/azuredeploy.json"
PARAMS_URI="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/infra/azure/templates/azuredeploy.parameters.json"

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4) Select SSH key

Use your existing public key if you have one: 
SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"
If you don’t have an SSH key yet, run the following: 
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
SSH_PUB_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)"

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5) Select VM size and OS disk size

Set VM and disk sizing variables: 
VM_SIZE="Standard_B2as_v2"
OS_DISK_SIZE_GB=64
Choose a VM size and OS disk size that are available in your Azure subscription/region and matches your workload:
  • Start smaller for light usage and scale up later
  • Use more vCPU/RAM/OS disk size for heavier automation, more channels, or larger model/tool workloads
  • If a VM size is unavailable in your region or subscription quota, pick the closest available SKU
List VM sizes available in your target region: 
az vm list-skus --location "${LOCATION}" --resource-type virtualMachines -o table
Check your current VM vCPU and OS disk size usage/quota: 
az vm list-usage --location "${LOCATION}" -o table

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6) Create the resource group

az group create -n "${RG}" -l "${LOCATION}"

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7) Deploy resources

This command applies your selected SSH key, VM size, and OS disk size. 
az deployment group create \
  -g "${RG}" \
  --template-uri "${TEMPLATE_URI}" \
  --parameters "${PARAMS_URI}" \
  --parameters location="${LOCATION}" \
  --parameters vmSize="${VM_SIZE}" \
  --parameters osDiskSizeGb="${OS_DISK_SIZE_GB}" \
  --parameters sshPublicKey="${SSH_PUB_KEY}"

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8) SSH into the VM through Azure Bastion

RG="rg-openclaw"
VM_NAME="vm-openclaw"
BASTION_NAME="bas-openclaw"
ADMIN_USERNAME="openclaw"
VM_ID="$(az vm show -g "${RG}" -n "${VM_NAME}" --query id -o tsv)"

az network bastion ssh \
  --name "${BASTION_NAME}" \
  --resource-group "${RG}" \
  --target-resource-id "${VM_ID}" \
  --auth-type ssh-key \
  --username "${ADMIN_USERNAME}" \
  --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

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9) Install OpenClaw (in the VM shell)

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh -o /tmp/openclaw-install.sh
bash /tmp/openclaw-install.sh
rm -f /tmp/openclaw-install.sh
openclaw --version
The installer script handles Node detection/installation and runs onboarding by default.

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10) Verify the Gateway

After onboarding completes: 
openclaw gateway status
Most enterprise Azure teams already have GitHub Copilot licenses. If that is your case, we recommend choosing the GitHub Copilot provider in the OpenClaw onboarding wizard. See GitHub Copilot provider. The included ARM template uses Ubuntu image version: "latest" for convenience. If you need reproducible builds, pin a specific image version in infra/azure/templates/azuredeploy.json (you can list versions with az vm image list --publisher Canonical --offer ubuntu-24_04-lts --sku server --all -o table).

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Next steps