Oracle Cloud (Always Free)

Run OpenClaw on Oracle Cloud's Always Free ARM tier. Up to 4 OCPU and 24GB RAM at $0/month.

Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier is the unicorn of OpenClaw hosting — up to 4 ARM-based OCPUs and 24GB of RAM at literally $0/month, forever. No credit card charges, no trial expiry, no surprise bills. For a personal AI assistant that needs to run 24/7, this is the most cost-effective cloud deployment that exists. The Always Free tier provides Ampere A1 ARM instances. You can configure them flexibly: one instance with 4 OCPU and 24GB RAM, or split across multiple smaller instances. For OpenClaw, a single instance with 2 OCPU and 12GB RAM is more than enough — it's actually more powerful than most paid VPS options from Hetzner or DigitalOcean. The catch is ARM architecture (aarch64), which means all Docker images and native modules must support ARM64. OpenClaw and Node.js both have full ARM64 support, so this works seamlessly. The biggest challenge isn't the platform itself — it's getting an instance. Oracle's Always Free ARM instances are frequently out of capacity in popular regions. You may need to try multiple regions (Phoenix, Ashburn, Mumbai, Seoul) or use automated provisioning scripts that retry until capacity becomes available. The community has built tools like oci-arm-instance-launcher that poll the API until an instance can be created. Once provisioned, the instance is yours permanently. Setup follows the standard Linux path: SSH into the instance, install Tailscale for secure access, run the OpenClaw installer script, and configure your channels. Oracle Cloud's default security lists are strict — only SSH is open by default, which is actually good security. Use Tailscale for gateway access rather than opening additional ports in Oracle's security lists. Oracle's networking is enterprise-grade but complex. The VCN (Virtual Cloud Network) with security lists, route tables, and internet gateways is more complicated than DigitalOcean's simple firewall. For OpenClaw, the defaults are fine — just add Tailscale and leave everything else locked down. The iptables rules on Oracle Linux can also be tricky — Ubuntu images are generally simpler to configure. Despite the provisioning challenge, Oracle Cloud Always Free is the best deal in cloud computing for OpenClaw. Once you have an instance, it's a powerful, free, always-on server that rivals $20-40/month VPS options from other providers. Combined with Tailscale for access and the standard OpenClaw installer, you get a production-quality deployment at zero recurring cost.

Tags: oracle, free-tier, arm, always-on

Use Cases

  • Zero-cost 24/7 AI assistant deployment — the most cost-effective cloud hosting available
  • Personal always-on agent for solo founders who want cloud reliability without monthly bills
  • ARM-compatible workloads where the free 24GB RAM provides more headroom than paid alternatives
  • Backup or secondary OpenClaw instance for redundancy alongside a primary deployment
  • Learning and experimentation with cloud deployments without financial commitment

Tips

  • Use Ubuntu instead of Oracle Linux for simpler iptables and package management — select Ubuntu 22.04 ARM during instance creation
  • Install Tailscale immediately after provisioning for secure remote access: curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
  • If instances are unavailable, try Phoenix, Ashburn, Mumbai, Seoul, or São Paulo regions — capacity varies
  • Use oci-arm-instance-launcher or similar scripts to automatically retry provisioning until capacity is available
  • Configure 2 OCPU and 12GB RAM for a single OpenClaw instance — it's more than enough and leaves room for other services
  • Keep a backup of your ~/.openclaw/ directory on a local machine or cloud storage in case Oracle terminates the instance
  • Don't open ports in security lists — use Tailscale exclusively for all access beyond SSH
  • Set up Oracle's built-in monitoring to track CPU and memory usage — the Always Free tier includes basic monitoring

Known Issues & Gotchas

  • ARM instance availability is limited — you may need to try multiple regions or use automated retry scripts to provision an instance
  • ARM architecture (aarch64) means some Docker images and native modules may not have ARM64 builds — verify compatibility before deploying
  • Oracle Linux has strict iptables rules by default — Ubuntu images are simpler to configure for OpenClaw
  • Oracle has been reported to terminate Always Free instances citing ToS violations — keep backups of ~/.openclaw/ on another machine
  • The VCN security list defaults are very restrictive — you'll need to add rules for any ports beyond SSH (or just use Tailscale)
  • Oracle's boot volume is only 47GB on Always Free — sufficient for OpenClaw but watch disk usage if you install many tools
  • The OCI dashboard is enterprise-focused and complex — navigating to the right settings takes some getting used to

Alternatives

  • Hetzner VPS
  • Raspberry Pi
  • GCP Compute Engine
  • DigitalOcean Droplet
  • Fly.io

Community Feedback

Oracle Cloud Always Free is genuinely free forever. 4 OCPU and 24GB RAM. The hard part is getting an instance — capacity is limited. Keep trying different regions.

— Reddit r/selfhosted

For $0/month you get more RAM than a $12/month DigitalOcean droplet. The catch is ARM architecture and availability. But once you have it, it's rock solid.

— Reddit r/AI_Agents

Oracle has terminated Always Free instances before citing ToS violations. Keep backups of your OpenClaw config. Some people run a second instance in a different region as failover.

— Reddit r/selfhosted

Over the weekend, I had some non-technical folks tell me how they're spending money on running OpenClaw on the cloud. Oracle Cloud free tier is right there. Zero cost, 24/7.

— Reddit r/vibecoding

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Oracle Cloud Always Free really free forever?

Yes, Oracle's Always Free tier doesn't expire after a trial period. As long as you stay within the free tier limits and comply with their ToS, you won't be charged. However, keep backups — there have been reports of instances being terminated for inactivity or ToS violations.

Why can't I create an ARM instance?

ARM instances are frequently out of capacity in popular regions. Try different regions (Phoenix, Mumbai, Seoul) or use automated provisioning scripts that retry the API until capacity becomes available. Some users report success during off-peak hours (late night/early morning US time).

Does OpenClaw work on ARM?

Yes. Node.js, OpenClaw, and most dependencies have native ARM64 (aarch64) binaries. The installer script detects the architecture automatically. Docker images from GHCR are also built for ARM64.

How do I access the Control UI?

Install Tailscale on the Oracle instance and your devices. Access the gateway at http://[tailscale-ip]:18789/. Alternatively, use SSH tunneling. Don't open port 18789 in Oracle's security lists.

Should I use Oracle Linux or Ubuntu?

Ubuntu 22.04 is recommended. Oracle Linux works but has stricter default iptables rules and uses dnf instead of apt. Most OpenClaw guides and community support assume Ubuntu/Debian.

What happens if Oracle terminates my instance?

Your data is lost unless you have backups. Periodically copy ~/.openclaw/ to another machine. Some users maintain a second free instance in a different region as failover. The key configuration files are small and easy to backup.

Can I run Docker on Oracle Always Free?

Yes. Install Docker on the ARM instance and use ARM64-compatible images. OpenClaw's Docker image supports ARM64. The 24GB RAM is more than enough for Docker-based deployments with agent sandboxing.