Step 1: Create 2GB Swap Space

Run these commands as root to provide emergency virtual memory:

# Create, secure, and enable swap
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

# Make swap permanent after reboot
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Step 2: Install Node.js 22 (RHEL/DNF)

Since apt is not available on your system, use the dnf package manager:

# Add NodeSource Repo for RHEL-based systems
curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo bash -

# Install Node.js
sudo dnf install -y nodejs

# Verify version
node -v

Step 3: Install & Optimize OpenClaw

Run the official installer and then start the gateway with memory limits:

# Run the installer
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Set memory limit and start
export NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=512"
openclaw gateway start

Step 4: Accessing the Web UI

Because the VPS binds to localhost, run this on your local machine to view the dashboard:

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 root@your_vps_ip

Then visit http://localhost:18789 in your browser.