How to Set Up a Rust Dedicated Server

Running your own Rust server gives you control over wipe schedules, plugin configurations, map selection, and the rules of engagement. Whether you want a casual PvE experience with friends or a competitive PvP battlefield with custom plugins, this guide covers everything from choosing a hosting approach to configuring your first wipe. By the end, you will have a fully operational Rust server ready for players to join.

What You'll Need

Before starting, have these ready:

• A copy of Rust on Steam — Required to connect and test your server.
• A hosting plan or dedicated machine — Managed hosting (recommended) starts around $9-11/month. Self-hosting requires a machine with at least 8GB RAM, a quad-core CPU, and a fast SSD.
• Steam account with SteamGuard enabled — Required for server authentication.
• A plan for your server — Decide on your wipe schedule, map size, player limit, and whether you want a vanilla, modded, or creative server.

Step 1: Choose Between Managed and Self-Hosted

Managed Hosting (Recommended)

Managed hosting providers handle the hardware, network, DDoS protection, and maintenance. You get a web panel to control everything. For Rust specifically, managed hosting is strongly recommended because Rust is exceptionally resource-intensive — it demands high single-thread CPU performance, fast NVMe storage, and substantial RAM.

Providers like Sparked Host, Host Havoc, and Shockbyte offer Rust-specific plans with hardware tuned for the game's demands. Key features to look for:

• NVMe SSD storage — Rust loads map and player data constantly. Slow disks cause severe lag.
• High clock-speed CPUs — Rust is heavily single-threaded. A 5GHz+ CPU makes a noticeable difference.
• Automated wipe support — Many hosts can schedule automatic wipes on force-wipe day.
• Oxide/uMod pre-installed — Saves time if you plan to use plugins.
• DDoS protection — Rust servers are frequent DDoS targets. Enterprise-grade protection is essential.

Self-Hosted

Self-hosting gives you complete control but requires significant hardware and networking knowledge. Rust servers consume 6-12GB RAM depending on map size and player count. You will need to handle updates, security, and uptime yourself. Self-hosting is viable if you have access to a dedicated machine or high-spec VPS with at least 8GB RAM and a modern CPU.

Step 2: Understand Rust Server Requirements

Rust is one of the most demanding games to host. Here are the hardware requirements:

| Component | Minimum | Recommended | |---|---|---| | CPU | 3.5GHz quad-core | 4.5GHz+ (high single-thread) | | RAM | 6GB | 8-12GB | | Storage | 30GB SSD | 50GB+ NVMe SSD | | Network | 100Mbps | 1Gbps | | OS | Windows/Linux | Linux (better performance) |

Map size dramatically impacts resource usage. A default-size (4250) map with 100 players will use 8-10GB RAM. Larger custom maps or high-population servers need 12GB+.

Step 3: Set Up Your Server on a Managed Host

The setup process with a managed provider is straightforward:

1. Purchase a plan — For a 50-player server, 4-8GB RAM is a good starting point. For 100+ players, go with 8-12GB.
2. Select Rust as your game.
3. Choose a server location closest to your target player base. For competitive Rust, every millisecond of latency matters.
4. Wait for provisioning — Most hosts deploy within 1-3 minutes.
5. Log in to your control panel — You will see the server console, file manager, and configuration options.

Your server IP and port will be displayed in the panel. Players connect using the Rust client console with client.connect IP:PORT.

Step 4: Install Oxide/uMod for Plugin Support

Most Rust servers run Oxide (also called uMod), the standard plugin framework. Without Oxide, you cannot install plugins.

On Managed Hosting

Most hosts offer a one-click Oxide installer in the control panel. Look for a "Mod Manager" or "Oxide" toggle. Enable it, and the host handles installation and updates automatically.

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest Oxide build from uMod.org.
2. Extract the files into your Rust server's root directory, overwriting existing files when prompted.
3. Restart the server. Oxide loads automatically and creates an /oxide/ directory.
4. Verify installation by typing oxide.version in the server console.

Essential Plugins

Once Oxide is installed, download plugins from uMod.org and place .cs files in the /oxide/plugins/ folder. They compile and load automatically. Here are must-have plugins:

• Gather Manager — Adjust resource gathering rates.
• Stack Size Controller — Customize item stack sizes.
• Quick Smelt — Speed up furnace smelting.
• NTeleportation — Teleport commands (/home, /tpr).
• Clans — Team system with shared doors and friendly fire protection.
• BetterChat — Chat formatting, colors, and group tags.
• RustIO / RustMaps — Live map integration.
• Admin Radar — Admin tool to monitor players.

Step 5: Configure RCON (Remote Console)

RCON lets you manage your server remotely without logging into the game. This is essential for administration.

Add these parameters to your server startup command line or configuration:

+rcon.web 1
+rcon.ip 0.0.0.0
+rcon.port 28016
+rcon.password "YourSecurePasswordHere"

Then use an RCON client like RustAdmin (Windows), rcon.io (web-based), or BattleMetrics RCON to connect. Never share your RCON password and always use a strong, unique password.

Common RCON commands:

| Command | Description | |---|---| | status | List connected players | | kick "PlayerName" "reason" | Kick a player | | ban "PlayerName" "reason" | Ban a player | | server.save | Force a world save | | server.writecfg | Save configuration changes | | say "message" | Broadcast a message to all players | | inventory.give "PlayerName" "item" amount | Give an item to a player | | teleport "Player1" "Player2" | Teleport a player to another player |

Step 6: Configure Your Wipe Schedule

Rust's forced wipe happens on the first Thursday of every month when Facepunch releases a major update. Between forced wipes, you can choose your own wipe schedule. Common options:

• Monthly (force wipe only) — Server wipes only when Facepunch forces it. Good for casual and PvE servers.
• Biweekly — Wipe every two weeks. Popular for competitive PvP servers.
• Weekly — Fresh start every week. High-action, fast-paced servers.

Configure automatic wipes through your hosting panel if supported, or schedule them manually. During a wipe, you typically:

1. Stop the server.
2. Delete the map save files (.sav and .sav.N files) from the /server/ directory.
3. Optionally delete player blueprints for a full "BP wipe."
4. Change the map seed (optional) for a fresh layout.
5. Restart the server.

Blueprint wipes are separate from map wipes. Many servers only wipe blueprints on force wipe day, keeping them between map wipes so returning players retain their research progress.

Step 7: Select and Configure Your Map

Rust offers several map options:

• Procedural Map — The default. A unique map generated from a seed number. Change the seed each wipe for a fresh layout. Control size with +server.worldsize (default 4250, range 1000-6000).
• Barren — Procedural map without most monuments. Used for specific game modes.
• Custom Maps — Community-created maps from RustMaps.com. Upload the .map file to your server and reference it in the startup parameters.
• HapisIsland — A handcrafted legacy map (rarely used on modern servers).

Key startup parameters for map configuration:

+server.worldsize 4000          # Map size (1000-6000)
+server.seed 123456             # Map generation seed
+server.level "Procedural Map"  # Map type
+server.saveinterval 300        # Auto-save every 5 minutes

For custom maps, set the level URL:

+server.levelurl "https://your-map-host.com/yourmap.map"

Use RustMaps.com to preview procedural seeds before committing. Look for balanced monument distribution, good coastlines, and central launch site placement.

Step 8: Configure server.cfg

The server.cfg file (located in /server/my_server_identity/cfg/) controls server behavior. Create or edit it with these settings:

# Server identity
server.hostname "My Rust Server | 2x | Bi-Weekly"
server.description "Friendly community server. 2x gather. Bi-weekly wipes."
server.headerimage "https://your-url.com/banner.png"
server.url "https://your-website.com"
server.tags "monthly,vanilla,NA"

# Gameplay
server.maxplayers 100
server.pve false
server.radiation true
server.stability true
server.itemdespawn 300

# Decay
decay.upkeep_period_minutes 1440
decay.upkeep true

# Performance
fps.limit 30
gc.incremental_milliseconds 5
batchtimeout 1000

# Anti-cheat
antihack.enabled true
server.secure true
server.eac 1

After editing, run server.writecfg in the console to save changes.

Step 9: Common Startup Parameters

Your server launch command includes critical parameters. Here is a complete example:

+server.port 28015
+server.queryport 28017
+rcon.port 28016
+rcon.password "YourSecurePassword"
+rcon.web 1
+server.worldsize 4000
+server.seed 12345
+server.maxplayers 100
+server.hostname "My Rust Server"
+server.description "Description here"
+server.identity "my_server"
+server.saveinterval 300
+server.tickrate 30

Key parameters explained:

• server.tickrate — How many times per second the server processes game logic. 30 is standard. Higher values improve responsiveness but increase CPU load.
• server.saveinterval — Seconds between auto-saves. 300 (5 minutes) balances data safety and performance.
• server.identity — The folder name for your server's save data. Useful if you run multiple server instances.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Server not appearing in the server list:

• Verify that your server.port and server.queryport are correctly configured and not blocked by a firewall.
• Ensure server.secure is set to true for EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) integration. Servers without EAC will not appear in the community list.
• It can take 10-15 minutes for a new server to appear in the list. Use client.connect IP:PORT in the meantime.

Players experiencing heavy lag:

• Check server FPS with the perf console command. If server FPS is below 15, your CPU is bottlenecked.
• Reduce server.worldsize — Smaller maps are less resource-intensive.
• Reduce server.maxplayers if your hardware cannot handle the load.
• Ensure NVMe storage is being used. Rust performs constant disk I/O.

Oxide plugins not loading:

• Check the /oxide/logs/ directory for error messages.
• Verify the plugin is compatible with your current Rust and Oxide version.
• Some plugins depend on other plugins. Read the plugin description for required dependencies.

Server crashes during wipe or high-population events:

• Increase RAM allocation if possible.
• Ensure your server software is up to date — Facepunch releases patches frequently.
• Check for plugin conflicts by disabling plugins one at a time.

Players getting disconnected (EAC errors):

• This is usually a client-side issue. Advise players to verify their game files in Steam.
• Ensure server.eac is set to 1 and server.secure is true.

High entity count causing performance degradation:

• Rust accumulates entities over a wipe cycle (buildings, items, deployables). This is normal.
• Encourage players to maintain upkeep on their bases to allow natural decay of abandoned structures.
• Some plugins can automatically remove entities from inactive players.

Next Steps

Once your server is live and running smoothly, consider these enhancements:

• Set up BattleMetrics for advanced player tracking, ban management, and RCON.
• Create a Discord server with a channel linked to in-game chat using the DiscordMessages plugin.
• Configure a voting system with ServerRewards to incentivize players to vote for your server on tracking sites.
• Join Rust server listing sites like Just-Wiped.net, BattleMetrics, and TopRustServers to increase visibility.

Running a Rust server is a rewarding experience, and with providers like Sparked Host, Host Havoc, and Shockbyte handling the heavy lifting, you can focus on building a community rather than wrestling with hardware.