open source

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent that runs entirely on your own infrastructure—whether that’s a home server, Raspberry Pi, or VPS. Unlike ChatGPT and other cloud assistants, it actually executes commands on your system: reading files, managing your calendar, monitoring GitHub repos, and automating workflows through simple chat commands on Telegram or WhatsApp. The entire codebase is public, data stays under your control, and you can customize everything. Setup requires technical skills and infrastructure, but delivers capabilities cloud services legally can’t match. This guide covers how OpenClaw works, compares it to n8n workflow automation and ChatGPT, addresses security considerations, and walks through both local and VPS deployment options for 24/7 operation.