🦞 Deploy ClawdBot to Azure Container Apps: Your 24/7 AI Assistant in 30 Minutes

⚡ TL;DR

ClawdBot is an open-source personal AI assistant that runs 24/7 and communicates through Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more. This guide shows you how to deploy it on Azure Container Apps with a single command (azd up), with built-in security features like automatic TLS, secrets management, and IP restrictions.

🚀 The Quick Version: Create a Discord bot, clone the repo, run azd up, invite bot to server, start chatting. Total time: ~25 minutes. Total cost: ~$40-60/month.

Why Azure Container Apps over other options?

✅ Managed Identity - No credentials in config files
✅ Built-in Secrets - API keys never exposed in logs
✅ Automatic HTTPS - Free TLS certificates
✅ Hyper-V Isolation - Hardware-level container security
✅ Compliance Ready - SOC2, ISO, HIPAA certifications

🤖 What is ClawdBot?

If you've ever wanted a personal AI assistant that actually does things - not just answers questions - ClawdBot is for you. Created by Peter Steinberger and a growing open-source community, ClawdBot is a personal AI assistant that:

Capability	Description
🔄 Runs 24/7	On your own infrastructure, always available
💬 Multi-channel	Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, iMessage, and more
🧠 Persistent memory	Remembers your preferences and context across sessions
⚙️ Task execution	Autonomously clears inboxes, deploys code, manages files
📚 Skill learning	Creates reusable "skills" that you teach it

💡 Think of it as: A very capable coworker who never sleeps, works for pennies per hour, and gets better over time.

🌟 Why People Are Excited

The community response has been remarkable:

🏢 "It's running my company." — @therno

🎯 "After years of AI hype, I thought nothing could faze me. Then I installed @clawdbot. From nervous 'hi what can you do?' to full throttle - design, code review, taxes, PM, content pipelines..." — @lycfyi

☕ "Me reading about @clawdbot: 'this looks complicated' 😅 me 30 mins later: controlling Gmail, Calendar, WordPress, Hetzner from Telegram like a boss. Smooth as single malt." — @Abhay08

🔮 "Using @clawdbot for a week and it genuinely feels like early AGI. The gap between 'what I can imagine' and 'what actually works' has never been smaller." — @tobi_bsf

☁️ Why Azure Container Apps?

The original setup guide for ClawdBot uses AWS EC2, but Azure Container Apps offers significant advantages for running a 24/7 AI assistant - especially around security.

🔐 Security Posture Comparison

When deploying a personal AI assistant that can execute code, access APIs, and potentially connect to sensitive services, security isn't optional. Here's how Azure Container Apps compares to other popular deployment options:

Security Feature	Azure Container Apps	AWS EC2	DigitalOcean Droplet	Home Server	Hetzner VPS
Managed Identity (passwordless auth)	✅ Native	⚠️ IAM roles	❌ Manual	❌ N/A	❌ Manual
Secrets Management	✅ Built-in secrets	⚠️ SSM Parameter Store	❌ Env vars	❌ .env files	❌ .env files
VNet Integration	✅ Native	✅ VPC	⚠️ Limited	❌ N/A	❌ N/A
Private Endpoints	✅ Supported	✅ PrivateLink	❌ No	❌ N/A	❌ N/A
Automatic TLS/HTTPS	✅ Free, auto-renewed	❌ Manual (ACM + ALB)	❌ Manual (Let's Encrypt)	❌ Manual	❌ Manual
DDoS Protection	✅ Azure DDoS	✅ Shield (extra $)	⚠️ Basic	❌ None	⚠️ Basic
Compliance Certifications	✅ SOC2, ISO, HIPAA	✅ SOC2, ISO, HIPAA	⚠️ SOC2 only	❌ None	❌ None
RBAC (Role-Based Access)	✅ Azure RBAC	✅ IAM	⚠️ Teams	❌ N/A	❌ N/A
Audit Logging	✅ Log Analytics	✅ CloudTrail	⚠️ Basic	❌ Manual	❌ Manual
Container Isolation	✅ Hyper-V	✅ Firecracker	⚠️ Shared kernel	❌ None	⚠️ Shared kernel
Network Policies	✅ Native	⚠️ Security Groups	⚠️ Firewall	❌ Manual iptables	⚠️ Firewall
Vulnerability Scanning	✅ Defender for Cloud	✅ Inspector	❌ Manual	❌ Manual	❌ Manual

🛡️ Why Security Matters for AI Assistants

ClawdBot isn't just a chatbot - it can:

Execute shell commands on the container
Access external APIs with your credentials
Store conversation history including potentially sensitive information
Connect to messaging platforms with bot tokens

This makes security architecture critical. Let's break down the key advantages:

1. Managed Identity: Zero Secrets in Code

Azure Container Apps:

// No credentials needed - Azure handles auth automatically
identity: {
  type: 'UserAssigned'
  userAssignedIdentities: { '${managedIdentity.id}': {} }
}

Other platforms: Require storing access keys in environment variables or config files, creating potential leak vectors.

2. Secrets Management: First-Class Support

Azure Container Apps:

# Secrets stored securely, referenced by name
az containerapp secret set --name clawdbot --secrets "api-key=$MY_KEY"
# Used as: secretRef: 'api-key'

Other platforms: Secrets typically live in .env files on disk, visible to anyone with SSH access.

3. Network Isolation: VNet by Default

Azure Container Apps can be deployed into a VNet with:

Private ingress only - no public IP
Private Endpoints for Azure services
Network Security Groups for fine-grained control
Service Endpoints for secure storage access

This means your ClawdBot can be completely isolated from the public internet while still connecting to your messaging channels.

4. Container Runtime Security

Azure Container Apps runs on Hyper-V isolated containers, providing:

Kernel-level isolation between workloads
No shared kernel vulnerabilities
Hardware-backed security boundaries

Compare this to standard Docker on VPS providers where containers share the host kernel.

5. Compliance Ready

Azure Container Apps inherits Azure's compliance certifications (if relevant to your use case):

SOC 2 Type II
ISO 27001, 27017, 27018
HIPAA BAA available
FedRAMP High
PCI DSS

This matters when ClawdBot handles sensitive business data or connects to regulated systems.

💰 Cost Comparison

Platform	Monthly Cost	What You Get
🟠 AWS EC2 (t3.medium)	~$30-40	Fixed VM, you manage everything
🔵 Azure Container Apps	~$40-60	Managed platform, auto-scaling, built-in HTTPS
🍎 Running on your Mac	$0 + electricity	Works, but must stay on 24/7
💬 ChatGPT Plus	$20/month	Easy to use
🤖 Claude Max	$100-200/month	Great model

🏆 Why Container Apps Wins

Benefit	Description
🔧 Zero Maintenance	No VMs to patch, no Kubernetes to manage
📈 Auto-scaling	Scales to zero when idle, scales up under load
🔒 Built-in HTTPS	Automatic TLS certificates from Azure
📊 Integrated Monitoring	Logs flow to Azure Log Analytics automatically
🛡️ Security Features	Managed Identity, VNet integration, Private Endpoints
🌍 Global Reach	Deploy to any Azure region worldwide

🚀 The 30-Minute Setup

📋 Prerequisites

Before you start, you'll need:

Requirement	Link
✅ Azure subscription	Free tier works for testing
✅ Azure CLI	Install here
✅ Azure Developer CLI (azd)	Install here
✅ OpenRouter API Key	openrouter.ai/keys (recommended)
✅ Discord Account	For bot creation

💡 Why OpenRouter? OpenRouter provides access to multiple AI models (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini) through a single API. It's the recommended provider for ClawdBot on Azure.

0️⃣ Create Your Discord Bot First! (5 minutes)

⚠️ Important: Do this before running azd up - you'll need the bot token during deployment.

Step	Action
1	Go to Discord Developer Portal
2	Click New Application → Name it (e.g., "ClawdBot-Azure")
3	Go to Bot → Click Add Bot
4	Enable Privileged Gateway Intents: Message Content ✅, Server Members ✅
5	Click Reset Token → Copy the bot token (save it securely!)
6	Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
7	Select Scopes: `bot`, `applications.commands`
8	Select Permissions: `Send Messages`, `Read Message History`, `View Channels`
9	Copy the generated OAuth2 URL (you'll need this to invite the bot)

Get Your Discord User ID:

Step	Action
1	In Discord: Settings → Advanced → Enable Developer Mode
2	Right-click your username → Copy User ID

🔐 Security Note: The Discord User ID is used for the DM allowlist. Only users in this list can message your bot directly.

1️⃣ Get the Sample (2 minutes)

Clone the deployment template:

git clone https://github.com/BandaruDheeraj/clawdbot-azure-container-apps
cd clawdbot-azure-container-apps

2️⃣ Provision Infrastructure (5-7 minutes)

Run the initial provisioning:

azd provision

You'll be prompted for:

Prompt	What to Enter
Environment name	`clawdbot-prod`
Azure subscription	Select from your list
Azure location	`eastus2` (recommended)

Note: azd provision creates the Azure infrastructure without deploying the app. We need to build the image first.

This creates:

Step	What Happens
1️⃣	Creates a Resource Group
2️⃣	Deploys Azure Container Registry
3️⃣	Sets up Azure Storage for persistent data
4️⃣	Creates a Container Apps Environment
5️⃣	Configures Log Analytics for monitoring

2.5️⃣ Build the Container Image (Required - 3-5 minutes)

⚠️ This must be done before deploying the app. The container image needs to exist in ACR before the Container App can pull it.

# Get your ACR name from the provisioned resources
ACR_NAME=$(az acr list --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod --query "[0].name" -o tsv)

# Build the image in Azure Container Registry (no local Docker needed!)
az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "clawdbot:latest" --file src/clawdbot/Dockerfile src/clawdbot/

Understanding this command:

Part	What It Does
`--registry $ACR_NAME`	Build in your Azure Container Registry (in the cloud)
`--image "clawdbot:latest"`	Name the output image `clawdbot:latest` (we choose this name)
`--file src/clawdbot/Dockerfile`	Use the Dockerfile from our sample repo
`src/clawdbot/`	Send this folder as the build context

💡 What happens during the build? The Dockerfile in our sample (at src/clawdbot/Dockerfile) automatically:

Starts from a Node.js base image

Clones the official ClawdBot source code from GitHub

Installs dependencies with pnpm

Builds the TypeScript application

Builds the Control UI

Adds our custom entrypoint.sh that generates config from Azure environment variables

You don't need to download ClawdBot separately - it's pulled fresh from GitHub during the ACR build. The resulting image is stored in your ACR as clawdbot:latest.

2.6️⃣ Configure Your Credentials (Required)

Set your secrets before deploying:

cd clawdbot-azure-container-apps

# Set your required secrets
azd env set OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-your-key-here"
azd env set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN "your-discord-bot-token"
azd env set DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS "your-discord-user-id"

Where to get these values:

Variable	Where to Get It
`OPENROUTER_API_KEY`	openrouter.ai/keys
`DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`	Discord Developer Portal → Your App → Bot → Reset Token
`DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS`	Discord → Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode → Right-click your username → Copy User ID

Optional settings:

# Change the AI model
azd env set CLAWDBOT_MODEL "openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"

# Change the bot's name
azd env set CLAWDBOT_PERSONA_NAME "Clawd"

# Add IP restrictions (for security)
azd env set ALLOWED_IP_RANGES "1.2.3.4/32"

# Enable email alerts
azd env set ALERT_EMAIL_ADDRESS "your-email@example.com"

2.7️⃣ Deploy the Application

Now deploy with your configuration:

azd deploy

This deploys ClawdBot to Container Apps with all your secrets configured.

⚠️ Important: If you change any environment variables later, run azd deploy again to apply them.

3️⃣ Invite Your Bot to a Server (2 minutes)

⚠️ Critical: Discord requires bots and users to share a server before DMs work!

Step	Action
1	Open the OAuth2 URL you copied in Step 0
2	Select a server to invite the bot to (or create a new one)
3	Click Authorize

4️⃣ Start Chatting! 💬

Step	Action
1	Find your bot in the server's member list (right sidebar)
2	Right-click the bot → Message to open a DM
3	Send: `Hello!`
4	Wait a few seconds for the response 🎉

🎉 You're now chatting with your personal AI assistant running 24/7 on Azure!

🐛 Troubleshooting Common Issues

We encountered these issues during testing - here's how to fix them:

Container Image Not Found (MANIFEST_UNKNOWN)

Problem: Logs show MANIFEST_UNKNOWN: manifest tagged by "latest" is not found

Cause: The container image wasn't built before deployment.

Solution: Build the image manually:

ACR_NAME=$(az acr list --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod --query "[0].name" -o tsv)
az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "clawdbot:latest" --file src/clawdbot/Dockerfile src/clawdbot/
azd deploy

Windows Line Endings Breaking entrypoint.sh

Problem: Logs show exec /app/entrypoint.sh: no such file or directory

Cause: Windows CRLF line endings in shell scripts break Linux containers.

Solution: Convert to Unix line endings before building:

# PowerShell - convert CRLF to LF
$content = Get-Content src/clawdbot/entrypoint.sh -Raw
$content -replace "`r`n", "`n" | Set-Content src/clawdbot/entrypoint.sh -NoNewline

Then rebuild the image:

az acr build --registry $ACR_NAME --image "clawdbot:latest" --file src/clawdbot/Dockerfile src/clawdbot/

Secrets Not Applied (Discord Application ID Error)

Problem: Logs show Failed to resolve Discord application id

Cause: azd env set stores values locally, but they weren't applied to the container.

Solution: Manually set secrets on the container app:

RESOURCE_GROUP="rg-clawdbot-prod"
APP_NAME="clawdbot"

az containerapp secret set --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --secrets "discord-bot-token=YOUR_ACTUAL_TOKEN"

az containerapp update --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --set-env-vars "DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS=YOUR_DISCORD_USER_ID"

# Restart to apply
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)
az containerapp revision restart --name $APP_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --revision $REVISION

"Unknown model" Error

Problem: ClawdBot logs show Unknown model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5

Cause: Model IDs must be exact. There's no model called claude-sonnet-4-5.

Solution:

azd env set CLAWDBOT_MODEL "openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"
azd deploy

✅ Correct Model IDs	❌ These Don't Exist
`openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet`	`claude-sonnet-4-5`
`openrouter/anthropic/claude-3-opus`	`openrouter:anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet`
`openrouter/openai/gpt-4-turbo`	`anthropic/claude-opus-4-5`

💡 Tip: Check openrouter.ai/models for current model names.

HTTP 401 Authentication Error

Problem: Logs show HTTP 401: authentication_error

Cause: Invalid or missing OpenRouter API key.

Solution:

# Verify your key at openrouter.ai/keys first
azd env set OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-your-actual-key"
azd deploy

Can't DM the Bot

Problem: Discord says "Unable to send messages to this user"

Cause: Discord requires a shared server before you can DM a bot.

Solution:

Invite the bot to a server using the OAuth2 URL
Then DM the bot from that server's member list

Bot Doesn't Respond to DMs

Problem: Bot is online but ignores your messages.

Cause: Your Discord user ID isn't in the allowlist.

Solution:

azd env set DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS "your-discord-user-id"
azd deploy

🏗️ What You Just Deployed

Here's what's running in your Azure subscription:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          Azure Resource Group                               │
│                                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │                  Azure Container Apps Environment                       ││
│  │                                                                          ││
│  │  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐     ││
│  │  │                    🦞 ClawdBot Container App                    │     ││
│  │  │                                                                  │     ││
│  │  │  Gateway     → Control plane for sessions and tools             │     ││
│  │  │  Control UI  → Web dashboard for management                     │     ││
│  │  │  Channels    → Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp connections          │     ││
│  │  │  Skills      → Extensible automation capabilities               │     ││
│  │  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘     ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│                                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│  │  📦 Container       │  │   💾 Storage        │  │  📊 Log Analytics  │ │
│  │     Registry        │  │     Account         │  │                     │ │
│  │  (stores image)     │  │  (persistent data)  │  │  (logs & metrics)  │ │
│  └─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

💪 Why This is So Powerful

⚙️ 1. It Actually Does Things

Unlike ChatGPT or other chat interfaces, ClawdBot can:

Capability	Example
🖥️ Execute shell commands	Deploy code, manage files
🌐 Browse the web	Fill forms, extract data
📧 Connect to services	Gmail, Calendar, GitHub
📁 Manage files	Create, edit, organize
⏰ Run scheduled tasks	Cron jobs, reminders
📞 Call you on the phone	With ElevenLabs integration

📚 2. It Learns and Improves

ClawdBot uses a "skills" system. Teach it something new:

"Create a skill that checks my flight status and texts me if there are delays"

It will create that skill, test it, and run it whenever you ask (or on a schedule).

🧠 3. It Remembers Context

Unlike stateless AI chats, ClawdBot maintains persistent memory:

✅ Your preferences
✅ Past conversations
✅ Files you've shared
✅ Skills you've taught it

This context persists across sessions, even if the container restarts.

🔐 4. Secure by Default

Running on Azure Container Apps means:

Security Feature	Benefit
🔐 SOC 2 / ISO 27001	Azure's security certifications apply
🌐 VNet integration	Keep traffic on private networks
🪪 Managed Identity	No secrets in code
👥 RBAC	Fine-grained access control
📝 Audit logs	Everything logged to Log Analytics

💵 Cost Efficiency Deep Dive

📊 Detailed Cost Breakdown

Resource	What It Does	Monthly Cost
Container Apps	Runs ClawdBot 24/7	~$30-50
Container Registry (Basic)	Stores the image	~$5
Storage Account	Persists data	~$1-2
Log Analytics	Stores logs	~$2-5
Total		~$40-60/month

📈 ROI Comparison

Solution	Monthly Cost	Capabilities	Best For
Azure Container Apps	$40-60	Full AI assistant	Production use
AWS EC2	$30-40	Same, but you manage	AWS shops
DigitalOcean	$24-48	Same, manual setup	Simple deployments
Local machine	$10-20	Requires 24/7 uptime	Hobbyists
ChatGPT Plus	$20	Chat only	Q&A only
Claude Max	$100-200	Great but no tasks	Heavy AI users

💡 Key Insight: $40-60/month for a 24/7 AI assistant that actually does work is incredibly cheap compared to any human alternative.

🧪 Quick Test Drive

Once deployed, try these commands with your ClawdBot:

📝 Basic Tasks

"What's the weather in New York?"

"Set a reminder for tomorrow at 9am to call the dentist"

🔍 Research

"Research the top 5 project management tools and give me a comparison"

📧 Automation

"Check my last 10 emails and tell me which ones need a response"

🛠️ Skills

"Create a skill that summarizes any webpage I send you"

⚙️ Advanced Configuration

� How It Works Under the Hood

When you run azd up, the deployment does something clever: it builds ClawdBot from source in Azure Container Registry, then injects your configuration at runtime via an entrypoint script.

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   azd up        │────▶│  ACR Build      │────▶│  Container App  │
│                 │     │  (from source)  │     │  (your config)  │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                                                        │
                                                        ▼
                                               ┌─────────────────┐
                                               │  entrypoint.sh  │
                                               │                 │
                                               │  Generates JSON │
                                               │  config from    │
                                               │  env variables  │
                                               └─────────────────┘

The entrypoint script converts your environment variables into ClawdBot's JSON configuration format at startup. This means:

Secrets stay out of the image - Configuration is injected at runtime
Easy updates - Just change env vars and redeploy
No manual config files - The script handles schema changes

📱 Adding More Channels

Discord (Recommended):

azd env set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN "your-discord-token"
azd env set DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS "user-id-1,user-id-2"  # Comma-separated for multiple users
azd deploy

Telegram:

azd env set TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN "your-telegram-token"
azd env set TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USER_ID "your-telegram-user-id"
azd deploy

WhatsApp: Requires the desktop wizard to scan a QR code - not supported in headless container deployments.

🧠 Supported Models (via OpenRouter)

Model	ID	Notes
Claude 3.5 Sonnet	`openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet`	Recommended - Best balance of speed/quality
Claude 3 Opus	`openrouter/anthropic/claude-3-opus`	Most capable, slower
GPT-4 Turbo	`openrouter/openai/gpt-4-turbo`	Good alternative
Gemini Pro	`openrouter/google/gemini-pro`	Fast, lower cost

Change model:

azd env set CLAWDBOT_MODEL "openrouter/anthropic/claude-3-opus"
azd deploy

⚠️ Important: Model IDs must be exact. Check openrouter.ai/models for current names.

🎭 Custom Persona

Change your bot's personality:

azd env set CLAWDBOT_PERSONA_NAME "Jarvis"
azd deploy

📋 Viewing Logs

az containerapp logs show \
  --name clawdbot \
  --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod \
  --follow --tail 50

# What healthy logs look like:
# Discord channel configured: yes (DM allowlist: 123456789)
# [discord] logged in to discord as 987654321
# [gateway] agent model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet
# [gateway] listening on ws://0.0.0.0:18789

🔄 Updating Secrets

After changing secrets, you must restart the container:

# Update a secret
az containerapp secret set --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod \
  --secrets "openrouter-api-key=sk-or-v1-new-key"

# Get current revision
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)

# Restart to apply
az containerapp revision restart --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot-prod \
  --revision $REVISION

🔒 Security Best Practices

Azure Container Apps includes several security features by default. Here's how to use them effectively for ClawdBot:

� Addressing Common Security Concerns

The community has raised several valid security concerns about self-hosting AI assistants. Here's how our Azure Container Apps deployment addresses each one:

Security Concern	How ACA Addresses It	Configuration
1. Close ports / IP allowlist	✅ Built-in IP restrictions on ingress	`ALLOWED_IP_RANGES` parameter
2. Auth (JWT/OAuth/strong secret + TLS)	✅ Gateway token auth + automatic HTTPS	`CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN` + free TLS certs
3. Rotate keys (assume compromise)	✅ Container App secrets + easy rotation	`az containerapp secret set`
4. Rate limiting + logs + alerts	✅ Log Analytics + Azure Monitor alerts	Preconfigured alerts included

Let's dive into each:

🔐 1. IP Restrictions / VPN Access

The Concern: "Close the port/firewall to VPN or IP allowlist"

ACA Solution: Container Apps supports IP security restrictions at the ingress level - no need for external firewalls.

# Restrict access to your home IP and VPN
azd env set ALLOWED_IP_RANGES "1.2.3.4/32,10.0.0.0/8"
azd deploy

This creates ingress rules that:

Allow traffic only from specified CIDR ranges
Block all other IP addresses at the edge
Apply before traffic reaches your container

For maximum security (internal-only):

# Deploy with no public ingress at all
azd env set INTERNAL_ONLY "true"
azd deploy

This makes ClawdBot accessible only from within your Azure VNet - perfect for corporate environments with VPN access.

🔑 2. Authentication (Gateway Token + TLS)

The Concern: "Add auth - JWT/OAuth at least a strong secret + TLS"

ACA Solution: Multiple layers of authentication are enabled by default:

Layer	What It Does	How It Works
HTTPS/TLS	Encrypts all traffic	Automatic Let's Encrypt certificates
Gateway Token	Authenticates Control UI access	32-char random token in secret
DM Allowlist	Restricts who can message the bot	Discord/Telegram user ID whitelist
Managed Identity	Authenticates to Azure services	No passwords in config

The gateway token is auto-generated if not provided:

# Auto-generate (recommended)
azd up  # Token generated automatically

# Or specify your own
azd env set CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN "your-strong-secret-here"
azd deploy

Why this is better than JWT/OAuth:

JWT/OAuth requires identity provider setup and maintenance
Gateway token is simpler but equally secure for single-user scenarios
DM allowlist provides identity verification at the messaging layer
Combined with IP restrictions, attack surface is minimal

🔄 3. Key Rotation (Assume Compromise)

The Concern: "Rotate keys regularly, assume compromise"

ACA Solution: Container App secrets can be rotated without rebuilding or redeploying:

# Rotate OpenRouter API key
az containerapp secret set --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --secrets "openrouter-api-key=sk-or-v1-new-key-here"

# Rotate Discord bot token
az containerapp secret set --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --secrets "discord-bot-token=new-discord-token"

# Rotate gateway token
az containerapp secret set --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --secrets "gateway-token=new-32-char-secret"

# Restart to apply new secrets
REVISION=$(az containerapp show --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --query "properties.latestRevisionName" -o tsv)
az containerapp revision restart --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --revision $REVISION

Rotation best practices:

Rotate API keys monthly or after any suspected exposure
Use Azure Key Vault for automated rotation (optional)
Monitor for failed auth attempts (covered by alerts below)

📊 4. Rate Limiting + Logs + Alerts

The Concern: "Rate limit + comprehensive logging + alerts for anomalies"

ACA Solution: Full observability stack included by default:

Logging (Included)

All container output flows automatically to Log Analytics:

# View real-time logs
az containerapp logs show --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --follow --tail 50

# Query historical logs
az monitor log-analytics query \
  --workspace $LOG_ANALYTICS_WORKSPACE_ID \
  --analytics-query "ContainerAppConsoleLogs_CL | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h)"

Alerts (Preconfigured)

Our deployment includes four security-focused alerts:

Alert	Trigger	Indicates
High Error Rate	>10 auth errors in 5 min	Potential brute force attack
Container Restarts	>3 restarts in 15 min	Crash loop or OOM attack
Unusual Request Volume	>100 messages/hour	Potential abuse
Channel Disconnect	Discord/Telegram goes offline	Token revoked or network issue

Enable email notifications:

azd env set ALERT_EMAIL_ADDRESS "security@yourcompany.com"
azd deploy

Rate Limiting

While Container Apps doesn't have built-in rate limiting, you get effective protection from:

Discord/Telegram rate limits - Both platforms limit message frequency
DM Allowlist - Only approved users can send messages
OpenRouter rate limits - API calls are throttled by your plan
Unusual activity alerts - Notified when volume spikes

For additional rate limiting, add Azure API Management in front of the gateway.

🛡️ Defense in Depth Architecture

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           SECURITY LAYERS                                   │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                            │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 1. IP RESTRICT  │  Only allowed IPs can reach the gateway              │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 2. TLS/HTTPS    │  All traffic encrypted with auto-renewed certs      │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 3. DM ALLOWLIST │  Only your Discord user ID can message the bot      │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 4. GATEWAY AUTH │  Token required for Control UI access               │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 5. SECRETS MGMT │  API keys stored as Container App secrets           │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 6. MANAGED ID   │  Passwordless auth to Azure services (ACR)          │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 7. HYPER-V      │  Container isolation at hardware level              │
│   └────────┬────────┘                                                      │
│            ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────────┐                                                      │
│   │ 8. ALERTS       │  Notify on auth failures, restarts, abuse           │
│   └─────────────────┘                                                      │
│                                                                            │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔑 Implementation Checklist

Practice	How to Implement	Why It Matters
🔐 DM Allowlist	Set `DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS`	Prevents strangers from using your AI
🎫 Gateway Token	Auto-generated, use for Control UI	Protects web management interface
🌐 IP Restrictions	Set `ALLOWED_IP_RANGES`	Limits network attack surface
🔒 Secrets in Azure	Keys stored as secrets, not env vars	Never exposed in logs or source
👤 Managed Identity	Enabled by default	No ACR passwords in config
📝 Audit Logs	Log Analytics workspace	Track all API calls and access
🚨 Alerts	Set `ALERT_EMAIL_ADDRESS`	Immediate notification of issues
🔄 Key Rotation	`az containerapp secret set`	Mitigate compromised credentials

🚨 What NOT to Do

❌ Don't	✅ Do Instead
Put API keys in Dockerfile	Use Container App secrets
Use `dm.policy: "open"`	Use `dm.policy: "allowlist"`
Disable gateway token auth	Always require token for Control UI
Skip DISCORD_ALLOWED_USERS	Always configure the allowlist
Leave IP restrictions empty for production	Set ALLOWED_IP_RANGES
Ignore alerts	Configure email notifications

🔐 Optional: Private VNet Deployment

For highly sensitive deployments, deploy entirely within a VNet:

# Create a VNet-integrated environment
az containerapp env create \
  --name cae-clawdbot-private \
  --resource-group rg-clawdbot \
  --location eastus2 \
  --infrastructure-subnet-resource-id $SUBNET_ID \
  --internal-only

This makes ClawdBot:

Inaccessible from the public internet
Reachable only from within your Azure VNet
Suitable for sensitive workloads

🧹 Cleaning Up

When you're done experimenting:

azd down --purge

This removes all Azure resources. Your data in Azure Storage will be deleted.

🎯 What's Next?

Once your ClawdBot is running, explore these capabilities:

Next Step	Link/Action
🔧 Browse Skills	clawdhub.com
📚 Create Custom Skills	Teach through natural language
🔗 Add Integrations	Gmail, Calendar, GitHub
⏰ Set Up Cron Jobs	Schedule recurring tasks
🎤 Enable Voice	Add ElevenLabs for voice

📚 Resources

Resource	Link
📖 ClawdBot Docs	docs.clawd.bot
💻 ClawdBot GitHub	github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot
💬 ClawdBot Discord	discord.gg/clawd
☁️ Azure Container Apps	Documentation
📦 Sample Repository	GitHub

🎯 Key Takeaways

🦞 ClawdBot on Azure Container Apps gives you the best of both worlds:

Benefit	What It Means
🔓 Open-source flexibility	Full control over your AI assistant
🏢 Managed infrastructure	Azure's scalability and reliability
💰 Cost efficiency	~$40-60/month for 24/7 operation
🔧 Zero maintenance	No servers to patch, no Kubernetes to manage
🔐 Security by default	Managed identity, secrets management, DM allowlist

📝 Key Learnings from Our Deployment

During the development and testing of this sample, we discovered several important details that will save you hours:

1. ClawdBot Requires Config File, Not Just Env Vars

The Problem: Setting environment variables directly doesn't configure ClawdBot.

The Solution: ClawdBot reads from ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json. Our entrypoint.sh script generates this file from environment variables at container startup.

2. Config Schema Matters

The Problem: Using legacy config format causes silent failures.

The Solution: Use agents.defaults and agents.list[].identity, not the older agent and identity format:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": { "model": { "primary": "..." } },
    "list": [{ "id": "main", "identity": { "name": "Clawd" } }]
  }
}

3. Model IDs Must Be Exact

The Problem: openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 returns "Unknown model".

The Solution: Check openrouter.ai/models for exact model names. Current working model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet.

4. Discord Requires Shared Server for DMs

The Problem: Can't find how to DM the bot.

The Solution: Discord bots can only receive DMs from users who share a server with them. Invite the bot to a server first, then DM it from the member list.

5. Secrets Changes Need Container Restart

The Problem: Updated API key but still getting auth errors.

The Solution: After az containerapp secret set, restart the revision:

az containerapp revision restart --name clawdbot --resource-group rg-clawdbot --revision $REVISION

🔮 The future of personal AI isn't chatting with a website - it's having an always-on assistant that remembers you, learns from you, and actually gets things done.

🚀 Deploy your ClawdBot today and join the 40,000+ developers who've discovered what personal AI should feel like.

🚀 Try It Yourself

Deploy ClawdBot with a single command:

# Clone the sample repository
git clone https://github.com/BandaruDheeraj/clawdbot-azure-container-apps
cd clawdbot-azure-container-apps

# Deploy everything with Azure Developer CLI
azd up

📦 Repository: github.com/BandaruDheeraj/clawdbot-azure-container-apps

💬 Questions or feedback? Join the ClawdBot Discord or open an issue on the sample repository.