The words you need to know

A computer that lives in a data centre and runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even when your own laptop is off. You rent it by the month. Digital Ocean calls theirs "droplets." This is where OpenClaw will live.

A company that rents you servers (droplets) cheaply. You pay monthly, typically £4–12/month for a basic setup. You manage your server through their website or by connecting to it directly.

The way you connect to your remote server from your own computer. Once connected, you're typing commands directly into your server, even though it might be in a data centre in Frankfurt. It's like a remote control for a computer.

A tool built into Windows that lets you run Linux commands on your Windows PC. You need this because SSH and most server tools expect Linux. Once WSL is installed, you open it like any other app and you're in a Linux terminal.

A text-based window where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. It looks old-fashioned but it's how most server management works. On Windows with WSL installed, search for "Ubuntu" or "WSL" to open it. On Mac, it's called Terminal.

The unique number that identifies your server on the internet. Like a postal address for a computer. Looks like: 165.22.47.123. Digital Ocean shows you this when you create a droplet.

The platform that runs your AI agents. Think of it like an operating system, but for AI assistants. It runs on your server and manages the agents, their memory, their schedules, and how they communicate with you (e.g. via Telegram).

An AI assistant that can take actions, remember things between conversations, run tasks on a schedule, and connect to external services. Unlike a chatbot you use once and forget, an agent has ongoing context and can work independently in the background.

A conversation thread with an agent. The agent remembers everything said in a session. Sessions can be persistent (ongoing) or isolated (one task, then finished).

A task that runs automatically at a set time. "Every day at 8am, check my emails" is a cron job. OpenClaw lets you set these up so your agents do things without you having to ask them each time.

The AI brain your agent uses. Claude (by Anthropic), GPT (by OpenAI), and Gemini (by Google) are all models. OpenClaw works with several. Claude is the default. Different models have different strengths and different costs per use.

A long string of letters and numbers that acts as a password for a service. If you want your agent to use Claude, you need an Anthropic API key. If you want it to send Telegram messages, you need a Telegram bot token. Keep these private. They're like passwords.

A special API key that connects your OpenClaw setup to a Telegram bot. You create the bot through @BotFather in Telegram, and it gives you a token. OpenClaw uses this to send and receive messages through your bot.

A file that stores your secret keys and settings. It lives on your server and is never shared or made public. Programs read it automatically when they start up. If OpenClaw asks you to "set your API keys in the .env file," this is where they go.

A file where you set your preferences and settings. OpenClaw uses a config file to know which model to use, which Telegram bot to connect to, and how your agents should behave. Usually a .json or .yaml file you edit once and leave.

OpenClaw gives you two ways to connect to Claude. An API key is a code you copy from Anthropic's website. Straightforward, works immediately, but costs per use. OAuth lets you log in with your existing Claude account. Useful if you have Claude Pro (the £18/month subscription). Start with the API key to get going. Once it's running, get the bot to help you switch to OAuth if you want to use your subscription instead.

Claude Pro is the monthly subscription (£18/month). You use it through claude.ai in a browser. The Claude API is pay-as-you-go. You pay per message, typically fractions of a penny. OpenClaw can use either. API key gets you started fastest. OAuth connects to your Claude Pro account.

To talk to your OpenClaw agents via Telegram, you need a Telegram bot. Create one by opening Telegram and messaging @BotFather. Type /newbot, give it a name, and BotFather will give you a token (a long string of numbers and letters). Paste that token into OpenClaw's setup. Then you can message your bot directly and it connects to your agents.

The web interface for OpenClaw: a dashboard you open in a browser to see your agents, sessions, cron jobs, and settings. Once OpenClaw is running on your server, you access it via your server's IP address in a browser. Think of it as the control panel.

A way for one service to automatically notify another when something happens. Telegram uses webhooks to tell your OpenClaw server when someone messages your bot. OpenClaw sets this up automatically during configuration. You don't need to do it manually.

A command that downloads all the software that a programme needs to run. Like installing all the ingredients before you can cook. You run it once when you first set something up.

Commands that start a programme. After you've installed everything, you run this to actually launch it.

A programme that is currently running on a computer. OpenClaw is a process. If you stop the process, OpenClaw stops. On a server, you usually want programmes to keep running even when you disconnect. That requires a process manager.

A process manager: a tool that keeps your programmes running in the background and restarts them automatically if they crash. You install it once and then use it to start OpenClaw so it keeps running even after you log out of the server.

A tool for downloading and updating code. When you install OpenClaw, you'll probably use a git command to download it. "git pull" updates your copy to the latest version.

The engine that OpenClaw runs on. Like how a car needs an engine, OpenClaw needs Node.js installed on your server. You install it once as part of setup and don't need to touch it again.

The web address people type to reach a site, like willpalmer.co.uk. You buy domain names from a registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.) and they cost a few pounds a year.

The internet's address book. When someone types your domain name, DNS tells their browser which server to go to. If you've bought a domain and want it to point to your Digital Ocean server, you change the DNS settings. Changes take a few hours to work everywhere.

A service that hosts websites. You connect it to your code and it automatically deploys your site whenever you make changes. Fast, free for basic use, and handles all the server complexity for you. Great for simple websites.

A numbered channel on a server through which specific traffic passes. Web traffic uses port 80 (or 443 for secure). If OpenClaw runs on port 3000, you might visit your-server-ip:3000 to reach it. Firewalls can block or open specific ports.