The default OpenClaw Docker setup prioritizes ease of use over security. For production deployments, you need proper hardening: non-root users, read-only filesystems, network isolation, and resource limits. This guide walks you through seven critical hardening steps that transform a vulnerable container into a production-ready, defense-in-depth deployment.
Why This Is Hard to Do Yourself
These are the common pitfalls that trip people up.
Root by default
The stock OpenClaw Docker image runs as root, giving full host access on misconfiguration.
Network exposure
Default bridge network exposes all container ports. No network isolation between services.
Writable filesystem
Containers can modify their own filesystem, enabling persistence for malware.
No resource limits
Without cgroup limits, a compromised container can consume all host CPU and RAM.
Step-by-Step Guide
Run as non-root user
# In Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml:
services:
openclaw:
image: openclaw/openclaw:2.4.1
user: "1000:1000"
# Or add to Dockerfile:
# RUN addgroup --system openclaw && adduser --system --ingroup openclaw openclaw
# USER openclawEnable read-only filesystem
services:
openclaw:
read_only: true
tmpfs:
- /tmp
- /app/.cache
volumes:
- ./data:/app/data # Only writable mountSet resource limits
services:
openclaw:
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '2.0'
memory: 2G
reservations:
cpus: '0.5'
memory: 512MConfigure network isolation
services:
openclaw:
networks:
- openclaw-internal
networks:
openclaw-internal:
driver: bridge
internal: true # No external accessDrop unnecessary capabilities
services:
openclaw:
cap_drop:
- ALL
cap_add:
- NET_BIND_SERVICE # Only if needed for ports < 1024
security_opt:
- no-new-privileges:trueAdd health checks
services:
openclaw:
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/health"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 10s
retries: 3
start_period: 10sEnable Docker logging limits
services:
openclaw:
logging:
driver: json-file
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"Warning: Without log rotation, a chatty OpenClaw instance can fill your disk with logs, causing the entire host to become unresponsive.
Hardening Docker Is Tricky
One wrong setting and your container is either insecure or broken. Our Docker security experts handle non-root configs, network isolation, seccomp profiles, and monitoring — tested and verified.
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