Deploy a full-stack application to any VPS from zero to production in one command with automated security hardening and SSL.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install vps-deploy
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install vps-deploy using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is VPS Deploy?
This skill provides a robust, production-grade deployment engine designed to transform a bare Ubuntu or Debian server into a secured application host. By leveraging Openclaw Skills, developers can automate complex infrastructure tasks including SSH hardening, firewall configuration, and the installation of modern container runtimes. The skill acts as an intelligent bridge between your local development environment and any cloud provider like DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or Vultr.
Beyond simple file transfers, it intelligently detects your application stack—whether it is Node.js, Python, or Go—and generates optimized multi-stage Dockerfiles and Docker Compose configurations. It ensures your apps are not only live but also secure and observable by configuring Nginx reverse proxies, automated Let's Encrypt SSL certificates, and container health checks as part of the standard Openclaw Skills workflow.
VPS Deploy Use Cases
- Deploying a locally developed application to a production VPS with a single command.
- Securing a fresh server instance with SSH hardening and UFW firewall rules.
- Automating the setup of Nginx as a reverse proxy with automated SSL certificate renewal.
- Containerizing legacy applications using auto-generated Dockerfiles optimized for production.
- Managing application lifecycles on self-hosted infrastructure using the Openclaw Skills ecosystem.
How VPS Deploy Works
- Scans the local project directory to identify the technology stack, required ports, and environment variables.
- Establishes a secure SSH connection to the target VPS to perform system updates and initialize a dedicated deployment user.
- Hardens server security by disabling root password login and configuring the UFW firewall for HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH.
- Installs the Docker engine and Docker Compose plugin to create a standardized runtime environment.
- Generates a multi-stage Dockerfile and a production-ready docker-compose.yml with resource limits and health checks.
- Transfers the application code via rsync, excluding unnecessary build artifacts and sensitive local files.
- Builds the containers on the server and configures Nginx to route traffic from the domain to the internal container port.
- Provisions a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate and performs a final verification check on container health and HTTPS status.
VPS Deploy Setup
To utilize this skill within the Openclaw Skills framework, ensure you have a VPS running Ubuntu or Debian and a domain name pointing to the server's IP address.
# Step 1: Ensure you have SSH access to your VPS
ssh root@your_server_ip
# Step 2: Have your domain DNS records (A record) pointed to the VPS
# The skill will handle the rest of the configuration automatically.
VPS Deploy Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill organizes application data and configuration files on the VPS using a structured taxonomy for easy management.
| Component | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Application Root | /home/deploy/apps/<app-name>/ |
Contains the source code, Dockerfile, and docker-compose.yml. |
| Nginx Config | /etc/nginx/sites-available/<domain> |
Defines the reverse proxy logic and SSL paths. |
| SSL Certificates | /etc/letsencrypt/live/ |
Storage for Let's Encrypt certificates managed by Certbot. |
| Docker Volumes | /var/lib/docker/volumes/ |
Persistent storage for databases like Postgres or MySQL. |
VPS Deploy Advanced Features
- Multi-stage Docker builds to keep production images lightweight and secure.
- Automated SSH hardening that verifies connection persistence before disabling root access.
- Intelligent stack detection for Next.js, FastAPI, Flask, and Go projects.
- Built-in log rotation and resource tagging within the Docker Compose environment.
- Automated health monitoring integration to ensure high availability within the Openclaw Skills architecture.
SKILL.md
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