> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chowder.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is Chowder?

> Deploy and manage OpenClaw instances through a simple REST API. Connect channels, install skills, and build AI-powered platforms without touching infrastructure.

# What is Chowder?

Chowder is a managed platform for [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) — the open-source agentic framework that turns language models into persistent, tool-using agents with memory, chat channels, and a workspace.

Instead of SSH-ing into servers, writing systemd units, and manually configuring gateway files, you call an API. Chowder handles the rest: provisioning cloud sandboxes, deploying OpenClaw, managing the gateway lifecycle, and proxying requests.

## What you can do

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Deploy instances" icon="server">
    Spin up fully configured OpenClaw instances in seconds. Each one gets its own sandbox, gateway, workspace, and memory.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat with agents" icon="message-bot">
    Send messages to your instances through the API. Use sessions to maintain separate conversation threads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect channels" icon="plug">
    Wire up Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, and 8 more messaging platforms. One API call per channel.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Install skills" icon="puzzle-piece">
    Browse ClawHub and install skills — browser control, web search, code execution, and hundreds more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How it works

```
Your app  -->  Chowder API  -->  Cloud Sandbox  -->  OpenClaw Gateway
                                   (sandbox)          (agents, tools,
                                                       channels, memory)
```

1. **You sign up** and get an organization API key (`chd_org_...`).
2. **You create an instance** — Chowder provisions a sandbox, installs OpenClaw, configures the gateway, and gives you a running agent in \~90 seconds.
3. **You interact** — send messages, connect channels, install skills, manage files. Everything through REST.
4. **Your users interact** — through Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, or your own frontend. The agent persists across conversations.

## Who is this for?

* **Platform builders** who want to offer AI agents as a feature without running infrastructure.
* **Developers** who want a managed OpenClaw deployment with an API they can integrate into anything.
* **Teams** who need multiple isolated agent instances with different configurations, skills, and channel connections.

## Quick example

Create an instance, send it a message, and get a response — all in three API calls:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
# 1. Sign up
curl -X POST https://api.chowder.dev/v1/organization/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "my-org"}'
# Returns: { "api_key": "chd_org_abc123...", "organization": { ... } }

# 2. Create an instance
curl -X POST https://api.chowder.dev/v1/instances \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer chd_org_abc123..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "my-agent"}'
# Returns: { "id": "inst_...", "status": "provisioning", ... }

# Wait ~90 seconds for provisioning...

# 3. Chat
curl -X POST https://api.chowder.dev/v1/instances/inst_.../responses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer chd_org_abc123..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514", "input": "Hello! What can you do?"}'
# Returns: { "output": [{ "content": [{ "text": "Hey! I'm your new agent..." }] }] }
```

<Card title="Ready to start?" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
  Follow the quickstart to deploy your first instance in under 5 minutes.
</Card>