Rust Server Hosting

Why Rust Players Rent a Dedicated Server

Rust is a game that never pauses. Bases decay, resources respawn and rival groups raid whether you are online or not, and that only works on a server that runs around the clock. Facepunch publishes the Rust dedicated server through SteamCMD so that anyone can host one, and community servers fill the browser alongside the official ones.

Running that server on a home PC is possible but awkward. Every wipe needs an update, the map takes minutes to generate, plugins have to be patched, and a busy wipe night needs steady upload bandwidth. A hosted server moves the work into a data centre with a fixed address, DDoS filtering and a panel that turns the monthly routine into a few buttons.

The Monthly Wipe Cycle

Facepunch ships a content update on the first Thursday of every month. Throughout 2026 those devblogs have arrived like clockwork, from the Naval update on 5 February to the Livestock Update on 1 October. Each one is a forced update: the protocol version goes up, old servers can no longer accept updated players, and the map is wiped.

Facepunch's wipe timer defaults to 19:00 London time on the first Thursday, which lines up with forced wipes and shows players a countdown in the browser. Weekly and biweekly settings exist too. Whatever you choose, announce it clearly: wipe day is when your population peaks, and players plan their week around it.

Map Size, Seed and Custom Maps

A procedural map is described by two numbers. server.worldsize sets the size, and Facepunch's guide recommends values from 1000 to 6000. server.seed picks the layout, anywhere from 0 to 2147483647. The same pair always produces the same map, so a seed you liked can be used again next wipe.

• Small maps (around 2000 to 3000): quicker contact between groups, lower memory, ideal for 50 to 80 players.
• Medium maps (around 3500 to 4500): the usual choice for a community server, with space for monuments and roaming.
• Large maps (5000 and above): room for big populations, but more memory and longer generation on wipe day.

Custom maps built in an editor replace the seed entirely. You add +server.levelurl with a direct download link and remove the world size and seed from the start line, as Facepunch's custom map page explains. The link must work around the clock, because every player's game fetches the map from it when they join. A Dropbox link changed to end in ?dl=1 works well.

Picking Slots and Memory

Slots are a ceiling, not a promise: most Rust servers are full on the first night after a wipe and quieter by the third week. Plan for the peak. A friends server or a clan base rarely needs more than 50 slots, a growing community usually sits between 60 and 100, and public servers that queue on wipe day look at 100 and above.

Memory follows the map and the population. Our order form's guide puts a 2000 to 3000 map at 8GB to 10GB and a 3000 to 6000 map at 10GB to 12GB, before anyone joins. On top of that, allow roughly 1GB for every 10 players online and about 500MB for every 10 plugins. That is why each plan steps up a tier: 10GB on 50 slots, 12GB on 60, 14GB on 80, 16GB on 100 and 20GB on 120.

The memory graph in the panel is the best judge. If it sits close to the limit on wipe night, move up a tier from the client area; the map is untouched by the upgrade.

Owners, Moderators and RCON

Rust has two staff levels. The ownerid command gives a SteamID64 auth level 2, with full control, and moderatorid gives level 1. Both are stored in users.cfg inside the server's cfg folder, and server.writecfg saves any settings you change from the console so they survive a restart.

1. Find each admin's SteamID64, the 17 digit Steam ID that starts with 7656.
2. Stop the server and add them to users.cfg in the Easy Configurator, or sign in to the web console with your RCON password.
3. In the console run ownerid or moderatorid with the ID, then server.writecfg.
4. Start the server and check the staff member has their tools in game.

RCON is also how most admin tools talk to a server. Facepunch's guide suggests rcon.web 1, the web RCON mode that browser consoles and most desktop RCON apps use. Keep the RCON password private: anyone holding it has owner powers.

Running Plugins with uMod

Rust's plugin scene runs server side, so players can join a modded server without downloading anything. Most plugins are written for uMod, the framework long known as Oxide, and Facepunch's wiki also documents Carbon, which aims to run the same plugins.

• Install uMod from the Mod Manager and start the server once so its folders are created.
• Stop the server and add plugins with the uMod Plugins Installer.
• Give yourself and your staff the permissions each plugin asks for.
• Edit settings in oxide/config, and look in oxide/data for stored player data.

Plugins and forced updates meet every month. After the Monthly Update and Wipe, check each plugin page for a fresh build before the doors open, and read the console for errors on the first start. Then tag the server honestly: server.tags includes modded, oxide and carbon labels, alongside vanilla, pve, hardcore and softcore, and players see them before they join.

Rust+ on Your Own Server

Rust+ is Facepunch's companion app for phones. Once paired, it carries team chat, sends raid alerts and lets players work the traps in their base remotely. On a server, the companion service listens on app.port, which defaults to 67 above the game or RCON port, 28082 on a standard setup, and must be a TCP port of 10000 or higher.

Players pair from the Rust+ menu in the game's pause screen. If you would rather switch the app off, Facepunch's companion server page shows how to disable the port.

Browser Tags, Premium Servers and Hosting Rules

How your server appears in the browser decides who finds it. Tags show wipe rhythm, play style and region, and up to four appear at once. Facepunch also offers premium servers, set with server.premium, which are only visible to players whose Steam inventory is worth $15 or more, a filter some communities use against throwaway accounts.

Facepunch's Community Server and Hosting Guidelines are short and worth reading in full. Servers may charge for access, accept donations and sell cosmetics or perks. They must make it clear they are unofficial, they must not unlock paid DLC for players who do not own it, and breaking the rules can get a server delisted from the browser.

What to Compare Before You Rent a Rust Server

Most Rust offers look the same on the first page. These are the details that show up on your third wipe.

1. Memory for your map and slotsWork out your map size and peak population, then check that the RAM included in the price covers it, not just the slot count.
2. Wipe day toolingFind out whether updating, updating plugins and wiping is one action or a support ticket, because it happens every month.
3. Plugin supportLook for a one-click uMod install and a way to add plugins without uploading every file by hand.
4. Ping to your playersTest latency from where your community actually lives; in PvP a closer location beats raw hardware.
5. Backups you controlCheck you can back up before a risky change and restore without waiting for staff.
6. Database and RCON accessPlugins with shops or stats often want MySQL, and admin tools want RCON. Make sure both are included.
7. Terms and upgradesCompare monthly against longer terms, and confirm you can add slots or memory mid-wipe without moving the server.

Rust Server Glossary

Forced wipe

The monthly update that changes the protocol version and resets every server's map.

Blueprint wipe

Clearing what players have learned, done by the server owner rather than by the monthly update.

Wipe timer

A server setting that shows players a countdown to the next wipe, monthly by default.

Procedural map

A map generated from a world size and a seed when the server starts.

Seed

The number that decides a procedural map's layout; the same seed and size give the same map.

uMod (Oxide)

The plugin framework most Rust server plugins are written for.

Carbon

Another plugin framework, documented on Facepunch's wiki, that aims to run Oxide plugins.

RCON

Remote console access to the server, protected by a password, used by admin tools.

Auth level

Staff rank: 2 for owners set with ownerid, 1 for moderators set with moderatorid.

Rust+

Facepunch's companion app for team chat, the map and raid alerts on a phone.

Server tags

Short labels in the browser for wipe rhythm, style and region, up to four at a time.

Rust Server Help and Next Steps

Official references and our own guides for running the server.

• Creating a server, Facepunch wikiStart parameters, ports and world settings from the developer.
• Server wipe timer, Facepunch wikiMonthly, biweekly and weekly countdowns.
• Community Server and Hosting GuidelinesWhat community servers may and may not do.
• uMod plugins for RustThe plugin library the installer draws on.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelHow the panel works and where to log in.
• Our server locations
• Contact supportHelp with wipes, plugins and custom maps, day or night.