Overview
This guide walks you through deploying an AI assistant powered by Anthropic using Docker Deployment. You'll configure the provider, set up the deployment environment, and get your assistant running.
Why Anthropic?
- 200K context window
- Image understanding
- Tool/function calling
Why Docker Deployment?
- Portable
- Reproducible
- Isolation
Requirements
- Docker: Docker Engine 20.10+
- Docker Compose: For multi-container orchestration
- Anthropic credentials: API key or authentication
Step 1: Configure Anthropic
Standard API key authentication
- Create an account at console.anthropic.com
- Navigate to API Keys section
- Generate a new API key
- Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable
Environment Variable:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Step 2: Prepare Docker Deployment Environment
- Create Dockerfile: Create a Dockerfile for OpenClaw
- Create docker-compose.yml: Set up Docker Compose configuration
- Build Image: Build the Docker image
docker compose build - Start Container: Start the container
docker compose up -d - Run Onboarding: Complete setup inside container
docker compose exec openclaw openclaw onboard
Step 3: Configuration
Create your openclaw.json configuration:
{
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"model": {
"primary": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514"
}
}
},
"models": {
"providers": {
"anthropic": {
"models": {
"providers": {
"anthropic": {
"apiKey": "${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
}
}
} Step 4: Deploy
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
openclaw:
image: node:22-slim
command: ["sh", "-c", "npm install -g openclaw@latest && openclaw gateway"]
ports:
- "18789:18789"
volumes:
- openclaw_data:/root/.openclaw
environment:
- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
openclaw_data: Step 5: Verify
# Check deployment status
openclaw status
# View logs
openclaw logs --follow
# Test with a message
openclaw test "Hello, are you working?" Connect to Channels
Now connect your deployed Anthropic assistant to messaging channels:
Connect AI to WhatsApp via Baileys protocol
Telegram
Full-featured Telegram bot with commands and reactions
Discord
Discord bot with slash commands and threads
Slack
Slack app with Block Kit and threads
Signal
Encrypted messaging via signal-cli daemon
iMessage
Apple iMessage integration (macOS only)