Running a Rust server is a sequence of small jobs, and most of them come round again every month. The first week is setup: a working install, a seed and world size you like, admin rights and the plugins your community expects. From then on it is wipe scheduling, plugin updates on force-wipe Thursday, the occasional performance hunt when the entity count climbs, and the steady work of keeping the server listed, described and full.
These guides are written by the people who run the hardware. Each one answers its question in the first paragraph, gives the exact console command or panel label, and ends with what to check when it did not work. The screenshots are of our own control panel, but the convars, files and commands are Facepunch's and apply on any host.
Start at chapter one if the server does not exist yet. If it does, jump to the chapter for the job in front of you. And if you are weighing up where to run it, our Rust server hosting starts from £7.50 a month with the panel used throughout these pages.
Getting set up
From a blank install to a server your friends can find and join.
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1
Rust dedicated server install guide 9 min read
Install a Rust dedicated server with SteamCMD on Windows. System requirements, the install commands, a working batch script and what every line in it does.
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2
How to install a Rust staging server 6 min read
Switch a Rust server to the staging branch to test updates before they go live. Nine steps in the control panel, or one SteamCMD flag on a dedicated machine.
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3
How to join a Rust server 6 min read
Join a Rust server with the F1 console connect command, Steam, the in-game browser or favourites. Which to use when the others fail.
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4
Why you cannot join your new Rust server 5 min read
A new Rust server refuses connections for up to ten minutes while it builds the map and NAV mesh. How to tell that from a real fault.
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5
Rust server not showing in the server list 7 min read
Your Rust server runs but is missing from the browser. The Steam query ceiling, the empty server filter, and what gets you listed.
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6
How to load a custom Rust map 6 min read
Point your Rust server at a custom map with server.levelurl in server.cfg. Why the URL has to end in dl=1, and why you should wipe afterwards.
Admin and RCON
Owner rights, the console command reference and the tools that talk to it.
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7
How to add an admin to your Rust server 5 min read
Give a player admin or moderator rights on your Rust server with ownerid and moderatorid over RCON, and why writecfg matters.
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8
Rust server admin commands 10 min read
Every documented Rust admin command in one grouped reference: bans, kicks, mutes, entity spawning, weather and saving, with accepted values.
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9
Rust server admin tools 6 min read
The RCON tools for managing a Rust server compared: BattleMetrics, RustAdmin, RCON.io and Facepunch WebRCON, with what each costs and where each falls short.
Plugins, wipes and performance
Oxide and Carbon, the wipe cycle, and keeping server FPS up as the map fills.
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10
How to install uMod on a Rust server 6 min read
Install uMod, formerly Oxide, on your Rust server through the Mod Manager in seven steps, and update it safely afterwards. What changes once uMod is running.
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11
uMod and Oxide basic usage 6 min read
Upload plugins, reload them without restarting and set up permission groups with uMod and Oxide. The commands and the folders they use.
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12
How to wipe a Rust server 6 min read
Wipe your Rust server from the control panel in eight steps. What each wipe option removes, the difference between a map wipe and a BP wipe, and when to wipe.
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13
How to improve Rust server performance 9 min read
Raise Rust server FPS with the convars that matter: batching.colliders, nav_disable, fps.max and saveinterval. Plus the plugin trap.
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14
Rust FPS optimization guide 9 min read
Raise your Rust client FPS with the settings that actually cost frames, the launch options worth using, and where hardware upgrades genuinely help.
Grow your server
Listing, description, header image and tags: the things players see before they join.
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15
Rust server advertising 8 min read
Where to advertise a Rust server and when to post. Reddit, Steam, just-wiped listings, Discord, and why wipe day timing beats everything.
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16
Rust server description formatter 4 min read
Paste your Rust server description and get a correctly formatted server.description line with the line breaks Rust expects. Free tool, no sign up.
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17
How to add a header image to your Rust server 6 min read
Add a custom header image to your Rust server with server.headerimage. The exact 512x256 PNG requirement, hosting it correctly, and the eight step setup.
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18
How to add server description tags on Rust 6 min read
Add tags to your Rust server with server.tags so players find you through the browser filters. The syntax, the tags available, and how to pick honestly.
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19
6 things to check before buying a Rust server 8 min read
What to check before you buy Rust server hosting: CPU clock speed, DDoS protection, cost against need, support quality, location and how to read reviews.
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20
Rust mixing tables: a beginner guide 5 min read
What the mixing table does in Rust, what it costs to get one, how tea brewing works and where to put it in your base so raiders do not get it.
Migration
Moving an existing server, with its world, blueprints and Rust+ pairings, to new hardware.