Choose Your Runtime

Compare the four runtimes on agentstead.dev and find the right one for your workflow.

Not sure where to start? Pick OpenClaw — it's the most general-purpose runtime and works well for almost every workflow.

Every runtime gives you the same platform foundation: a persistent Linux desktop, full dev toolchain, pre-installed AI coding tools, public HTTPS URL, secrets management, backups, and optional Tailscale networking.

The difference is the agent daemon that runs alongside the desktop.

Pick your runtime

OpenClaw

Full desktop + OpenClaw gateway. Best for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and general-purpose AI coding workflows.

OpenFang

Rust-based agent with REST API surface. Works without a provider key (Ollama fallback). Includes ffmpeg.

NullClaw

Zig-based runtime with a minimal footprint. Choose this if you specifically want the Zig execution model.

ZeroClaw

Rust-based runtime with pairing-code desktop auth. Performance-oriented.

Quick comparison

	OpenClaw	OpenFang	NullClaw	ZeroClaw
Runtime	Node.js gateway	Rust binary	Zig binary	Rust binary
Port	18789	4200	42618	42617
Token type	Gateway Token	API Key	Session Token	Session Token
Provider key required	No (configurable)	No (Ollama fallback)	No	No
ffmpeg	—	Yes	—	—
Best for	General AI coding	API-oriented + media	Minimal/Zig	Rust workloads

What every runtime includes

Every AgentStead runtime ships with an identical platform layer and toolchain. See Pre-installed Tools for the full list, including setup guides for Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.

Hardware profile

All runtimes deploy with the same hardware:

Resource	Allocation
RAM	4 GB
vCPU	2
Workspace	Persistent volume
Network	1 Gbps uplink

Switching runtimes

There's no in-place conversion between runtime types. To switch:

Create a backup of your current agent's workspace
Deploy a new agent of the target type
Download and re-upload any workspace data you need
Destroy the old agent when done