Self-host OpenHands
updated Sep 2026prices checked · Jul 2026
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A self-hosted control center for AI coding agents: describe a task in natural language and OpenHands writes code, runs commands, and iterates on its own. It ships as Agent Canvas, an npx-installable web UI that runs its own agent or third-party agents (Claude Code, Codex, and other Agent-Client-Protocol-compatible agents), and you bring your own LLM API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or a self-hosted OpenAI-compatible endpoint).
Key facts
CategoryAI Coding Agents
LicenseMIT
StackTypeScript, React, Python
Min RAM4096 MB
Official imageno
Difficulty
Our recommendation
Pick OpenHands when you want a browser control centre for coding agents on your own VM: Agent Canvas is MIT-licensed, installed with `npx @openhands/agent-canvas`, and runs the OpenHands agent or ACP agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI) against models you pay for yourself — direct Anthropic, OpenAI or Google keys, an OpenHands LLM key, or a local OpenAI-compatible server such as Ollama. The moving parts are Node.js, `uv` for the Python agent-server runtime and an API key you generate; upstream says "2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM is plenty for a single user". If you want a multi-agent platform with identity, audit trails and durable workflows rather than one developer's agent, AgentArea is the fit.
Follow the OpenHands deploy guide →What you need
- Any VPS with at least 4096 MB of RAM
- A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
- About an afternoon — budget time for troubleshooting
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + USKamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + AsiaDigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + AsiaPaid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.
Install
Run these commands on your server:
# OpenHands Agent Canvas — official npx installer + systemd (docs/SELF_HOSTING.md). Node.js 24 + uv:
# the docs say Node 22.x, but @openhands/agent-canvas 1.20.0 declares engines.node >=24 — 24 satisfies both
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y curl git
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo -E bash - && sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # agent-server runtime
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" # uv installs here — needed in this same shell
export LOCAL_BACKEND_API_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32) # save this value
npx @openhands/agent-canvas --public # quick test run, binds 127.0.0.1:8000
# for a persistent service, wrap the same command in a systemd unit —
# see https://github.com/OpenHands/OpenHands/blob/main/docs/SELF_HOSTING.md —
# then (optional) front :8000 with nginx + Let's Encrypt, or reach it over an SSH tunnel
# → https://your-domain — paste LOCAL_BACKEND_API_KEY when prompteddeploy guideHow to Deploy OpenHands on a VPSvps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly
What you take on
OpenHands reorganised itself in 2026 and its self-hosting guide is blunt about what the agent can reach:
non-negotiableThe agent server can read and write the filesystem, execute commands and reach the network, and "Anyone who can talk to the agent server can do the same." The npm/npx path runs it directly on the host — the README warns "the agent will have full access to your filesystem!" — so the guide's firewall step (inbound 22 restricted to your IP, 80 open for certificates, 443 restricted to your IP or VPN if you can, "Everything else — drop") and LOCAL_BACKEND_API_KEY are all that stands between a stranger and your VM.
non-negotiableGenerate the key with openssl rand -base64 32 and export LOCAL_BACKEND_API_KEY=<key>; with --public it is "not baked into the frontend", every /api/* call must carry a matching X-Session-API-Key header, and users must enter it before the UI works. All services bind to 127.0.0.1 (ingress on :8000), so remote access is either an SSH tunnel or the guide's optional nginx + certbot front end on 80/443.
non-negotiableDocker is a documented option, not the default: the README's Option 2 runs ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:1.20.0 on port 8000 with ~/.openhands and a PROJECTS_PATH mounted, which sandboxes the agent instead of handing it the host. The older "OpenHands GUI" image (docker.openhands.dev/openhands/openhands, port 3000, docker.sock mount) is what the docs index now calls "the deprecated Docker-based browser application from the former OpenHands monorepo", even though its own setup page still documents it without a notice — know which of the two you are following.
non-negotiableNode versions disagree upstream as of September 2026: the README says Node.js 22.12.x or later and the self-hosting guide says 22.x, but the published @openhands/agent-canvas 1.20.0 declares engines.node >=24. Our snippet installs Node 22 from NodeSource; if npx refuses to run, install Node 24. The repository also moved from All-Hands-AI/OpenHands to OpenHands/OpenHands — GitHub redirects the old URL.
non-negotiableThere is no bundled model: access is a direct provider API key, an OpenHands LLM key, an ACP agent's own subscription, or a local OpenAI-compatible server, and every option except local is metered by that provider on top of the VPS. The 4 GB floor is upstream's figure — "2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM is plenty for a single user" in the self-hosting guide, and "a minimum of 4GB RAM is recommended" in the docs.
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