The Self-Hosted Approach
Self-hosting means you run the bot on your own server. You control everything: the OS, the runtime, the networking, and the monitoring. For many developers, this feels natural — especially if you're already comfortable with Linux and Docker.
Pros of Self-Hosting
- Full control over the environment
- No vendor lock-in
- Potentially lower cost at scale if you already have infrastructure
- Can customize every aspect of the runtime
Cons of Self-Hosting
- You're responsible for uptime, restarts, and monitoring
- Security hardening is on you (firewalls, encryption, updates)
- Setup takes 45-90 minutes for a single bot
- Scaling requires manual capacity planning
- Log access requires SSH
The Managed Approach
A managed platform like Clawlient handles the infrastructure. You provide your API keys and configuration, and the platform handles server provisioning, process management, health monitoring, and restarts.
Pros of Managed Deployment
- Deploy in ~60 seconds with a guided wizard
- Automatic health checks and restart on failure
- Built-in encryption for credentials
- Dashboard-based log viewer — no SSH needed
- Scaling handled by the platform
Cons of Managed Deployment
- Monthly cost ($19-79/mo depending on plan)
- Less control over the runtime environment
- Dependent on the platform's availability
When to Self-Host
Self-hosting makes sense if you have an existing ops team, need deep customization of the bot runtime, or are running at a scale where the cost savings of your own infrastructure outweigh the ops overhead.
When to Use Managed
Managed deployment is ideal if you want to focus on your bot's functionality rather than infrastructure. If you're a solo developer, a small team, or a non-technical user who just wants a working bot — managed is the faster, safer choice.
The Bottom Line
There's no universally "right" answer. But for most people deploying 1-5 AI bots, the time saved by a managed platform far exceeds the monthly cost. You're paying to not think about servers, security, and uptime — so you can focus on what your bot actually does.