OpenClaw · Engineering Management

A structured approach to deploying self-hosted AI agents — infrastructure as a discipline.

🎯 Problem & Solution

Problem: AI agent services (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) create vendor lock-in, data privacy risks, and unpredictable API costs for teams.

Solution: OpenClaw — an open-source AI agent framework that runs on your own infrastructure. One engineer can deploy, maintain, and scale it.

376K GitHub Stars Apache 2.0 Self-hosted No vendor lock-in

📋 Infrastructure Spec (This Server)

Provider Tencent Cloud Lighthouse

Spec 4 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 80 GB SSD

OS Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Monthly Cost ≈ ¥90 (≈ $12 USD)

Gateway Port 21833 (WebSocket, auth-protected)

SSL Let's Encrypt, auto-renewal

LLM Models In Use DeepSeek V4 · DeepSeek R1

Sites Hosted mem.mba (MEM) · ai.mem.mba (Tools) · ai.mem.中国

📐 Deployment Phases (MEM Study Engineering)

Phase 1 — Foundation (Done)

Jun 2026 · 1 session

✅ Server provisioning (Tencent Cloud, Shanghai)
✅ Domain & SSL (mem.mba, mem.中国, Let's Encrypt)
✅ Nginx reverse proxy for Gateway WebSocket
✅ OpenClaw CLI installed & configured
✅ Firewall: strict minimum (22/80/443/21833)

Phase 2 — Integration (Done)

May 2026 · 3 sessions

✅ Feishu channel connected (this chat)
✅ Remote mode: manage from anywhere via chat
✅ Gateway behind Nginx SSL (WSS)
✅ DNSPod API automated (TXT records via tccli)

Phase 3 — Operations (Current)

Jun 2026

✅ Health monitoring (daily cron: DNS/SSL/HTTP)
✅ Cert auto-renewal with DNSPod API hook
🔄 Multi-channel expansion (Telegram/Discord)
⏳ Skill curation for MEM study automation

Phase 4 — Scale (Planned)

Q3 2026

⏳ Service packaging: deploy AI agent for clients
⏳ Multi-agent orchestration
⏳ Knowledge base integration (MEM study materials)

💰 Cost-Benefit Analysis

Monthly run cost of this server:

Item

Cost

Notes

Tencent Cloud 4C4G

≈ ¥90

Shanghai node, prepaid annually

Domain (mem.mba)

≈ ¥30

.mba TLD, annual renewal

Domain (mem.中国)

≈ ¥50

Chinese TLD, annual renewal

LLM API (DeepSeek)

≈ ¥20-50

Pay-per-token, light usage

Total monthly

≈ ¥150-200

≈ $20-28 USD

For a full personal AI agent with remote access, SSL, and 3 hosted sites. Cheaper than any SaaS equivalent.

🛠️ Command Reference

Key commands for system review and maintenance:

openclaw status              # System health + usage overview
openclaw sessions list       # Active sessions
openclaw gateway status      # Gateway uptime
openclaw skills list         # Installed skills
openclaw logs --tail         # Live log stream
openclaw configure           # Update model/auth channels
openclaw channels list       # Connected channels

📌 Key Metrics

Time from zero to running AI agent:

~15 minutes

Monthly infrastructure cost:

~$25 USD

Single engineer · One server · Full control