Self-Hosted AI Security
20 min4.9Advanced
Best practices for securing your OpenClaw deployment
Why Security Matters
Self-hosted AI systems have unique security considerations:
- Your API keys are stored locally
- User messages pass through your server
- AI responses contain sensitive information
- System access could lead to data breaches
API Key Protection
Never commit API keys to version control:
```
# Add to .gitignore
.env
*.key
openclaw.json
```
Use environment variables instead:
```bash
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key"
```
Access Control
Restrict who can interact with your gateway:
```json
{
"channels": {
"whatsapp": {
"allowFrom": ["+15550123456", "+15550123457"],
"groups": {
"*": {
"requireMention": true
}
}
}
}
}
```
Network Security
- Use HTTPS for all external connections
- Implement rate limiting
- Set up a reverse proxy (Nginx/Apache)
- Configure firewall rules
- Enable logging and monitoring