Deploy Moltbot on AWS or Hetzner Securely with Pulumi and Tailscale

In January 2026, the AI assistant previously known as Clawdbot was rebranded as Moltbot due to trademark issues, quickly gaining popularity with developers who likened it to the advanced assistant Siri promised to be. With a surge in demand, enthusiasts rushed to purchase hardware like Mac Minis, although Moltbot can run on various platforms, including VPS, laptops, and gaming PCs. To deploy Moltbot, users are guided to use Pulumi for infrastructure as code, ensuring easy replication and management across AWS or Hetzner Cloud. The guide emphasizes security, recommending Tailscale for a secure VPN setup to prevent exposure to the public internet and to manage sensitive data like API keys securely. Moltbot, created by Peter Steinberger, operates on user infrastructure, integrates with multiple messaging platforms, and can execute scheduled tasks while maintaining local conversation histories. Security considerations are crucial, with suggestions to use Tailscale and Pulumi ESC for managing secrets to minimize vulnerabilities. The guide offers a detailed walkthrough for deploying Moltbot on both AWS and Hetzner, highlighting cost comparisons, setup instructions, and security measures to ensure a private and robust deployment.