Deploy OpenClaw Gateway on EasyRunner with Podman and Caddy

EasyRunner runs the OpenClaw Gateway as a small containerized application behind its Caddy proxy. This guide targets an EasyRunner host that uses Podman-compatible Compose apps and terminates HTTPS through Caddy.

Before you begin

• An EasyRunner server with a domain pointed at it.
• The official OpenClaw image (ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw) or a custom build.
• A persistent config volume for /home/node/.openclaw.
• A persistent workspace volume for /home/node/.openclaw/workspace.
• A strong Gateway token or password.

Keep device authentication enabled whenever possible. If your reverse proxy cannot properly forward device identity, adjust the trusted-proxy settings first (see Trusted proxy auth); only use dangerous auth bypasses on a fully private, operator-controlled network.

Compose app

Create an EasyRunner app using a Compose file similar to this:

services:
  openclaw:
    image: ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN: ${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN}
      OPENCLAW_HOME: /home/node
      OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR: /home/node/.openclaw
      OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: /home/node/.openclaw/openclaw.json
      OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR: /home/node/.openclaw/workspace
    volumes:
      - openclaw-config:/home/node/.openclaw
      - openclaw-workspace:/home/node/.openclaw/workspace
    labels:
      caddy: openclaw.example.com
      caddy.reverse_proxy: "{{upstreams 1455}}"
    command: ["node", "openclaw.mjs", "gateway", "--bind", "lan", "--port", "1455"]

volumes:
  openclaw-config:
  openclaw-workspace:

Replace openclaw.example.com with your Gateway hostname. Store OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN in EasyRunner's secret or environment manager instead of including it in the app definition. The image binds to loopback by default, so the explicit --bind lan --port 1455 in command is necessary for Caddy to reach the container.

Configure OpenClaw

Inside the persistent config volume, keep the Gateway accessible only through the proxy and require authentication:

{
  gateway: {
    bind: "lan",
    port: 1455,
    auth: {
      token: "${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN}",
    },
  },
}

If Caddy terminates TLS for the Gateway, configure trusted-proxy settings for the exact proxy path rather than disabling auth checks globally. See Trusted proxy auth.

Verify

From your workstation:

openclaw gateway probe --url https://openclaw.example.com --token <token>
openclaw gateway status --url https://openclaw.example.com --token <token>

From the EasyRunner host, GET /healthz (liveness) and GET /readyz (readiness) require no authentication and support the image's built-in container health check. Also review the app logs for a listening Gateway and no startup SecretRef, plugin, or channel auth failures.

Updates and backups

• Pull or build the new OpenClaw image, then redeploy the EasyRunner app.
• Back up the openclaw-config volume before updates. It contains openclaw.json, agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json, and installed plugin package state.
• Back up openclaw-workspace if agents write durable project data there.
• Run openclaw doctor after major updates to catch config migrations and service warnings.

Troubleshooting

• gateway probe cannot connect: verify the Caddy hostname points at the app and that the container listens on 0.0.0.0:1455.
• Auth fails: rotate the token in EasyRunner secrets and the local client command together.
• Files are root-owned after restore: the image runs as node (uid 1000); repair the mounted volumes so that user can write /home/node/.openclaw and /home/node/.openclaw/workspace.
• Browser or channel plugins fail: check whether the required external binaries, network egress, and mounted credentials are available inside the container.