Keeping OpenClaw Updated and Backed Up

Updates

OpenClaw is actively developed — new features, bug fixes, and security patches ship frequently. Updating is simple because everything runs in Docker.

How to Update

ssh claw@YOUR_SERVER_IP
cd ~/openclaw

# Pull the latest image
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Stop the current container
docker stop openclaw
docker rm openclaw

# Start with the new image
docker run -d \
  --name openclaw \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  -v $(pwd)/config:/app/config \
  -p 3838:3838 \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

Your data and config are stored in mounted volumes (data/ and config/), so they survive container replacement.

Check the Version

docker exec openclaw openclaw --version

When to Update

• Check the OpenClaw changelog periodically
• Join the OpenClaw Discord for release announcements
• Critical security updates are announced prominently

Backups

You have two layers of backup protection:

Layer 1: Vultr Auto Backups (Lesson 5)

You enabled these during setup. Vultr automatically snapshots your entire server weekly. If your server is completely destroyed, you can restore from a backup.

Layer 2: Manual Config Backup

For faster, more granular recovery, periodically back up your OpenClaw data.

# Stop OpenClaw to ensure a clean snapshot
cd ~/openclaw
docker stop openclaw

# Create a timestamped backup
tar czf backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/ config/

# Restart OpenClaw
docker start openclaw

Download Backups to Your Computer

# Run this on your LOCAL machine
mkdir -p ~/openclaw-backups
scp claw@YOUR_SERVER_IP:~/openclaw/backup-*.tar.gz ~/openclaw-backups/

What to Back Up

• ~/openclaw/config/ — your configuration, custom instructions, routing rules
• ~/openclaw/data/ — conversation transcripts, knowledge files, cron jobs

Test Your Backup

A backup file you've never tested is not a backup — it's a hope. After creating a backup, verify it:

# Extract to a temp directory and check the contents
mkdir /tmp/backup-test
tar xzf backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /tmp/backup-test
ls /tmp/backup-test

You should see data/ and config/ directories with your files inside them. If the tar command fails or the directories are empty, something went wrong — try the backup again.

# Clean up when you're satisfied
rm -rf /tmp/backup-test

Restore from Backup

cd ~/openclaw
docker stop openclaw
tar xzf backup-20260318.tar.gz
docker start openclaw

When You're Done

• Updated OpenClaw at least once
• Created a manual backup (with OpenClaw stopped first)
• Tested the backup by extracting to a temp directory
• Know how to restore from backup
• Vultr auto backups confirmed active (Vultr dashboard → Backups tab)