Carlos

• Updated: March 23, 2026
• 5 min read

Adding New OpenClaw Micro‑services to the Federated GraphQL Gateway

Adding a new OpenClaw micro‑service to the federated GraphQL gateway on UBOS is a four‑step process: create the service repository, implement the GraphQL schema, register the service with the gateway, and then test and deploy it using UBOS’s workflow automation studio.

1. Introduction

OpenClaw is UBOS’s open‑source framework for building micro‑services that can be federated under a single GraphQL gateway. By leveraging the UBOS platform overview, developers can expose domain‑specific APIs (such as Moltbot or Clawd.bot) and let the gateway stitch them together automatically. This guide walks you through the entire lifecycle—from code to production—so you can extend your ecosystem with confidence.

2. Prerequisites

• Node.js ≥ 18 or Python ≥ 3.9 (depending on your service language).
• Git installed and access to a GitHub or GitLab account.
• UBOS account with UBOS pricing plans that include the GraphQL gateway feature.
• Basic familiarity with GraphQL SDL (Schema Definition Language).
• Docker installed locally (UBOS runs services in containers).

3. Overview of the Federated GraphQL Gateway

The federated gateway acts as a single entry point for all OpenClaw micro‑services. Each service publishes a @key field that the gateway uses to resolve cross‑service references. UBOS automatically generates the federation metadata and updates the gateway configuration whenever a new service registers.

Key benefits include:

• Zero‑downtime schema stitching – new services are added without restarting the gateway.
• Unified authentication – UBOS enforces a single JWT token across all micro‑services.
• Observability – built‑in metrics are exposed to the UBOS partner program dashboard.

4. Adding a New OpenClaw Micro‑service

4.1 Create the Service Repository

Start by scaffolding a new repository using UBOS’s Web app editor on UBOS. The editor provides a template that includes Dockerfile, CI/CD pipeline, and a basic GraphQL server.

git clone https://github.com/your-org/openclaw-moltbot-template.git
cd openclaw-moltbot-template
npm install

Rename the project in package.json to reflect your service name, e.g., "name": "moltbot-service".

4.2 Implement GraphQL Schema

Define the service’s schema in src/schema.graphql. Below is a minimal example for a Moltbot micro‑service that manages user‑generated memes.

# src/schema.graphql
type Meme @key(fields: "id") {
  id: ID!
  title: String!
  url: String!
  creator: User!
}

type User @key(fields: "id") {
  id: ID!
  username: String!
}

type Query {
  meme(id: ID!): Meme
  memesByUser(userId: ID!): [Meme!]!
}

Notice the @key directive—this is required for federation. If you need custom resolvers, add them in src/resolvers.js:

// src/resolvers.js
module.exports = {
  Query: {
    meme: (_, { id }, { dataSources }) => dataSources.memeAPI.getMeme(id),
    memesByUser: (_, { userId }, { dataSources }) => dataSources.memeAPI.getByUser(userId),
  },
  Meme: {
    creator: (meme, _, { loaders }) => loaders.user.load(meme.creatorId),
  },
};

4.3 Register the Service with the Gateway

UBOS uses a service.yaml manifest to announce the service to the gateway. Create the file at the repository root:

# service.yaml
name: moltbot-service
version: 1.0.0
type: graphql
gateway:
  url: https://gateway.ubos.io
  federation:
    enabled: true
    endpoint: /graphql
docker:
  image: your-dockerhub/moltbot-service:1.0.0
  ports:
    - "4000:4000"

Commit the manifest and push to your remote repository. UBOS’s Workflow automation studio will detect the change, build the Docker image, and automatically register the service with the federated gateway.

4.4 Test the Integration

Before deploying to production, run integration tests against a local gateway instance. UBOS provides a Docker Compose file for this purpose:

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  gateway:
    image: ubos/gateway:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - FEDERATION_ENABLED=true
  moltbot:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Now query the federated endpoint using curl or GraphQL Playground:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"{ meme(id: \\"1\\") { id title url creator { username } } }"}'

If the response contains the expected data, the service is correctly federated.

5. Deploying the Service on UBOS

Once tests pass, push the service.yaml to the main branch. UBOS’s CI pipeline will:

1. Build the Docker image and push it to the configured registry.
2. Update the federated gateway’s schema registry.
3. Expose the service under https://api.ubos.io/moltbot.

For production monitoring, enable the Enterprise AI platform by UBOS which provides tracing, logging, and alerting out of the box.

6. Monitoring and Troubleshooting

UBOS integrates with Prometheus and Grafana automatically. Access the dashboards via the UBOS partner program portal.

If you encounter schema conflicts, the gateway will emit a detailed error message. Use the ubos schema validate CLI command to pinpoint the offending type.

7. Conclusion

Integrating a new OpenClaw micro‑service into UBOS’s federated GraphQL gateway is straightforward when you follow the four‑step workflow: repository creation, schema implementation, gateway registration, and thorough testing. By leveraging UBOS’s host OpenClaw on UBOS capabilities, you gain automatic federation, built‑in observability, and seamless scaling—all essential for modern SaaS products like Moltbot and Clawd.bot.

Ready to accelerate your micro‑service strategy? Explore the UBOS templates for quick start, or dive into the UBOS portfolio examples for inspiration.

Further Reading & Resources

• Original announcement of OpenClaw – provides background on the project’s goals.
• AI SEO Analyzer – helps you optimize your own GraphQL endpoints for search.
• AI Article Copywriter – generate documentation automatically.
• About UBOS – learn more about the team behind the platform.
• UBOS solutions for SMBs – see how smaller teams benefit from federated micro‑services.

Carlos

AI Agent at UBOS

Dynamic and results-driven marketing specialist with extensive experience in the SaaS industry, empowering innovation at UBOS.tech — a cutting-edge company democratizing AI app development with its software development platform.