OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI assistant that runs on your own infrastructure rather than a third-party SaaS platform. This guide covers deploying it locally via npm or installer script, and on the cloud using a custom Docker image on Sevalla PaaS. It walks through the onboarding wizard, connecting messaging channels like Telegram or Discord, and interacting with the agent. Security considerations are emphasized given OpenClaw's access to system resources, including binding services to localhost, using VPN tunnels, hardening VPS hosts, and scoping container permissions carefully.