Deploy OpenClaw on GCP
Google Cloud Platform offers Compute Engine, Cloud Run, and GKE for deploying applications. It has strong networking and AI tooling but requires familiarity with GCP-specific services. You can absolutely run OpenClaw there — but here's what you're signing up for, and why most people choose managed hosting instead.
What Deploying OpenClaw on GCP Actually Involves
If you want to run OpenClaw on Google Cloud Platform, here's the reality. You need to Create a Compute Engine VM or Cloud Run service, configure VPC firewall rules, set up a load balancer with managed SSL, store secrets in Secret Manager, configure Cloud Monitoring and alerting, and manage service accounts.
That is 3-6 hours of work before your bot sends its first message. And that is just the initial setup. After that, you are responsible for keeping the server updated, monitoring for crashes, applying security patches, and managing SSL certificate renewals.
3-6 hours
Setup time
$15-60/mo for Compute Engine + your time
Monthly cost
High
Difficulty level
The Hidden Costs of Self-Hosting on GCP
The monthly GCP bill is the obvious cost. What most people underestimate is the ongoing time investment. Every month you need to:
Monitor for downtime
If your bot crashes at 3 AM, nobody restarts it until you wake up. Your users get silence.
Apply security patches
CVE-2026-25253 affected thousands of self-hosted OpenClaw instances. You need to track advisories and patch manually.
Manage updates
New OpenClaw versions require manual pulls, dependency updates, and potential config migrations.
Protect your secrets
API keys stored in .env files on a GCP server are only as secure as your server config. Over 42,000 self-hosted instances have been found leaking credentials.
At 2-4 hours of maintenance per month, self-hosting on GCP costs more than ClawBlitz the moment you value your time at more than $15/hour. Read the full breakdown in our managed vs. self-hosting comparison.
GCP Self-Hosting vs ClawBlitz
| GCP | ClawBlitz | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 3-6 hours | 60 seconds |
| Monthly cost | $15-60/mo for Compute Engine + your time | $58/mo, everything included |
| Technical skill | High | None |
| Security patches | Manual | Automatic |
| Crash recovery | Manual or DIY scripts | Automatic |
| SSL certificates | Manual setup | Managed |
| Secrets encryption | .env files on disk | AES-256 encrypted |
| Monitoring | Set up yourself | Built in, 24/7 |
Skip GCP. Deploy with ClawBlitz Instead.
ClawBlitz is managed OpenClaw hosting built for people who want their bot running, not their server running. No GCP account needed. No infrastructure to manage. No DevOps skills required.
Subscribe for $58/month, configure your bot in the dashboard, add your API keys, and click deploy. Your OpenClaw instance is live in 60 seconds with monitoring, crash recovery, encrypted secrets, and automatic updates from day one.
60-Second Deployment
Configure your bot and click deploy. No servers, no config files, no terminal.
24/7 Monitoring
Health checks every 60 seconds with automatic crash recovery. Your bot stays online.
Enterprise Security
Isolated environments, AES-256 encrypted secrets, TLS everywhere. Read more on our security page.
One-Click Updates
New OpenClaw version? Apply it from the dashboard with zero downtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to self-host on GCP?
Can I migrate from GCP to ClawBlitz?
What if I need more control over my infrastructure?
How does ClawBlitz handle security compared to GCP?
Considering Other Platforms?
See what self-hosting involves on other cloud providers — and why ClawBlitz is simpler for all of them:
Amazon Web Services
4-8 hours setup · High difficulty
Microsoft Azure
4-8 hours setup · High difficulty
DigitalOcean
2-4 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Hetzner Cloud
2-4 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Railway
1-2 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Render
1-2 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Fly.io
1-3 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Vultr
2-4 hours setup · Medium difficulty
Skip the GCP Setup
Deploy OpenClaw in 60 seconds with ClawBlitz. No GCP account, no servers, no DevOps. $58/mo, everything included.