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How to setup a Rust Server
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How to setup a Rust Server

How to Setup a Rust Server: Complete Guide

💡 Quick Tip: Setting up a Rust server manually can be complex and time-consuming. For a much easier experience with professional-grade performance, consider grabbing a high-performance Rust Server at https://physgun.com/games/rust-server-hosting. Our Rust hosting eliminates all the technical hurdles and gets you playing in minutes!

Table of Contents

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • CPU: 4-core CPU (3.0GHz+ base clock)

  • RAM: RAM Calculator for Rust Servers

  • Storage: 100GB SSD (preferably NVMe for better performance)

  • Network: 20+ Mbps upload speed

  • OS: Windows 10/11, Ubuntu 20.04+, or other modern Linux distributions

Recommended Requirements

  • CPU: 8+ threads with high single-thread performance (e.g., Ryzen 5800X3D or i9-11900K)

  • RAM: RAM Calculator for Rust Servers

  • Storage: 250GB+ NVMe SSD

  • Network: 100+ Mbps upload speed

Note: Rust servers are extremely CPU-intensive and rely heavily on single-thread performance. Higher frequency CPUs perform better than those with more cores.

Physgun Setup Guide — Easiest method

By far the easiest way to setup a Rust server is by using Physgun to host your Rust server for you. No annoying maintenance, troubleshooting, or long setups required!

Step 1: Find the perfect server for you.

  1. Use our Rust Server Resource Calculator to accurately gauge which server is right for you

  2. Place your order, and use code PHYSGUN for 30% off your first order

  3. Check your email to instantly setup your Gamepanel account

  4. Enjoy your new Rust Server! 🎉

Yep, it’s really that easy with Physgun, 4 simple steps to get you up and running with a high-performance Rust Server. Backed by extremely fast hardware and bulletproof DDoS Protection.

Windows Installation Guide

Remember: Setting up with Physgun saves you from all these manual steps and provides Bulletproof DDoS protection, automatic updates, and professional support!

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

  1. Create a folder for SteamCMD (e.g., C:\steamcmd)

  2. Download SteamCMD from: https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip

  3. Extract the contents to your folder

  4. Run steamcmd.exe and wait for it to update

Step 2: Download Rust Server Files

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

  2. Navigate to your SteamCMD folder:

    cd C:\steamcmd

  3. Run the following commands:

    steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir C:\rustserver +login anonymous +app_update 258550 validate +quit

Step 3: Create Server Startup Script

Create a new file called start_rust_server.bat in your Rust server folder with the following content:

@echo off
:start
echo Starting Rust Server...
RustDedicated.exe -batchmode ^
+server.ip 0.0.0.0 ^
+server.port 28015 ^
+server.tickrate 30 ^
+server.hostname "Your Server Name" ^
+server.description "Your server description" ^
+server.url "http://yourwebsite.com" ^
+server.headerimage "http://yourwebsite.com/serverimage.jpg" ^
+server.identity "server1" ^
+server.level "Procedural Map" ^
+server.seed 12345 ^
+server.worldsize 4000 ^
+server.maxplayers 100 ^
+server.pve false ^
+server.saveinterval 300 ^
+rcon.web true ^
+rcon.ip 0.0.0.0 ^
+rcon.port 28016 ^
+rcon.password "changeme" ^
+app.port 28025
echo.
echo Restarting server...
timeout /t 10
goto start

Step 4: Windows Firewall Configuration

  1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security

  2. Create new Inbound Rules for:

    • Port 28015 (UDP) - Game traffic

    • Port 28016 (TCP) - RCON

    • Port 28025 (TCP) - Rust+ app

  3. Create matching Outbound Rules

  4. Allow RustDedicated.exe through the firewall

Linux Installation Guide

Pro Tip: Physgun's Rust hosting runs on optimized, tuned Linux servers with all dependencies pre-configured, saving hours of setup time!

Step 1: Create Steam User (optional)

⚠️ SECURITY WARNING: Never use simple usernames/passwords like "steam/steam"! Botnets actively scan for these and will compromise your server within minutes.

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash steam
sudo passwd [UniquePasswordHere]
sudo usermod -aG sudo steam
su - steam

Change [UniquePasswordHere] to a unique password. Creating a steam user is optional (and recommended by Valve) if you do not wish to run SteamCMD on root.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo apt update
sudo apt install lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 curl tar screen wget

For CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum update
sudo yum install glibc.i686 libstdc++.i686 screen wget

Step 3: Install SteamCMD

mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
./steamcmd.sh +quit

Step 4: Install Rust Server

./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir ~/rustserver +login anonymous +app_update 258550 validate +quit

Step 5: Create Startup Script

Create start_rust_server.sh:

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
    echo "Starting Rust Server..."
    ./RustDedicated -batchmode \
    +server.ip 0.0.0.0 \
    +server.port 28015 \
    +server.tickrate 30 \
    +server.hostname "Your Server Name" \
    +server.description "Your server description" \
    +server.url "http://yourwebsite.com" \
    +server.headerimage "http://yourwebsite.com/serverimage.jpg" \
    +server.identity "server1" \
    +server.level "Procedural Map" \
    +server.seed 12345 \
    +server.worldsize 4000 \
    +server.maxplayers 100 \
    +server.pve false \
    +server.saveinterval 300 \
    +rcon.web true \
    +rcon.ip 0.0.0.0 \
    +rcon.port 28016 \
    +rcon.password "changeme" \
    +app.port 28025
    
    echo "Server crashed! Restarting in 10 seconds..."
    sleep 10
done

Make it executable:

chmod +x start_rust_server.sh

Step 6: Run Server in Screen

screen -S rust-server
./start_rust_server.sh

Press Ctrl+A then D to detach. Reattach with screen -r rust-server.

Server Configuration

Essential Server Variables

Variable

Description

Example

server.hostname

Server name shown in browser

"My Rust Server"

server.maxplayers

Maximum player slots

100

server.worldsize

Map size (1000-6000)

4000

server.seed

Map generation seed

12345

server.tickrate

Server update rate (10-30)

30

server.saveinterval

Auto-save interval (seconds)

300

decay.scale

Building decay rate multiplier

1.0

gather.rate

Resource gathering multiplier

1.0

Performance Settings

Add these for better performance:

+gc.buffer 2048
+gc.incremental_milliseconds 1
+fps.limit 256

Port Forwarding & Firewall Setup

Note: Physgun Rust Server Hosting handles all your networking automatically - no port forwarding needed!

Required Ports

Port

Protocol

Purpose

28015

UDP

Game traffic

28016

TCP

RCON access

28025

TCP

Rust+ app

Port Forwarding Steps

  1. Find your server's local IP:

    • Windows: ipconfig

    • Linux: ip addr or ifconfig

  2. Access your router:

    • Open browser to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1

    • Login with admin credentials

  3. Create port forwarding rules:

    • External Port: 28015 → Internal Port: 28015 (UDP)

    • External Port: 28016 → Internal Port: 28016 (TCP)

    • External Port: 28025 → Internal Port: 28025 (TCP)

    • Internal IP: Your server's local IP

Linux Firewall (iptables)

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 28015 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 28016 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 28025 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save

Linux Firewall (ufw)

sudo ufw allow 28015/udp
sudo ufw allow 28016/tcp
sudo ufw allow 28025/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Common Issues & Solutions

We’ve combed through the various amounts of common issues people face when manually setting up their Rust Server and documented them here to assist. Like we mentioned before, maintaining a Rust server yourself is very time consuming, that is why at Physgun your Rust server is maintained properly so you don’t have to waste time.

Issue: Server Not Showing in Server List

Solutions:

  1. Port forwarding not working:

    • Verify ports are open: Use online port checkers

    • Check if you have a public IP (not behind CGNAT)

    • Some ISPs block game servers - contact them

    • Try DMZ as a test (not recommended for production)

  2. Double NAT situation:

    • Check if modem is in bridge mode

    • Ensure only one device is doing NAT

  3. Firewall blocking:

    • Temporarily disable Windows Firewall to test

    • Check antivirus software firewall settings

Issue: "Disconnected: Connection Attempt Failed"

Solutions:

  1. Ensure server is fully loaded (can take 5-10 minutes)

  2. Verify correct public IP is being used

  3. Check server console for errors

  4. Confirm ports are properly forwarded

  5. Test with local connection first: connect localhost:28015

Issue: High Memory Usage

Solutions:

  1. Add to startup script:

    +gc.buffer 2048+gc.incremental_milliseconds 1

  2. Schedule daily restarts

  3. Limit entity count: +server.entity_limit 250000

Issue: Server Crashes on Startup

Solutions:

  1. Verify game files: Re-run SteamCMD with validate

  2. Check available disk space (need 100GB+)

  3. Ensure all dependencies are installed

  4. Review server identity folder for corruption

  5. Try different server.seed value

Issue: "Port already in use" Error

Solutions:

  1. Check if another instance is running:

    • Windows: netstat -ano | findstr :28015

    • Linux: sudo netstat -tulpn | grep :28015

  2. Change ports in startup script

  3. Kill existing process using the port

Issue: Players Experience Lag/Rubberbanding

Solutions:

  1. Increase tickrate: +server.tickrate 60

  2. Optimize network settings:

    +net.mtu 1400+net.sendbuffer 2097152

  3. Check server CPU usage (should be <80%)

  4. Verify upload bandwidth is sufficient

Performance Optimization

Essential Performance Commands

Add these to your startup script:

+server.tickrate 60
+fps.limit 256
+gc.buffer 2048
+gc.incremental_milliseconds 1
+net.sendbuffer 2097152
+server.entity_limit 250000
+craft.instant false

Regular Maintenance

  1. Daily server restarts - Clears memory leaks

  2. Weekly map wipes - Reduces entity count

  3. Monitor performance - Use RCON tools or admin mods

  4. Update regularly - Keep server files current

Hardware Optimization

  1. CPU: Prioritize high frequency over core count

  2. RAM: Use fast DDR4/DDR5 memory

  3. Storage: NVMe SSDs reduce loading times

  4. Network: Ensure stable, low-latency connection

Modding Your Server

Tip: Physgun Rust Servers offers one-click plugin installation! & one-click Carbon / Oxide(uMod) installation as-well!

Installing Oxide/uMod

  1. Download from https://umod.org/games/rust

  2. Extract files to your server directory

  3. Restart server

  4. Plugins go in oxide/plugins/ folder

Popular Performance Plugins

  • ServerInfo - Monitor server performance

  • StackSizeController - Optimize inventory management

  • EntityLimit - Control entity spawning

  • LagCompensation - Improve hit registration

Essential Admin Plugins

  • AdminRadar - Track players and activities

  • Vanish - Invisible admin mode

  • GodMode - Invincibility for testing

  • Teleportation - Quick movement around map

Final Notes

Setting up a Rust server requires patience and technical knowledge. Common issues like port forwarding problems, ISP restrictions, and performance optimization can be frustrating. That's why many server owners choose Physgun's Rust Server Hosting for:

  • ✅ Instant setup - no technical knowledge needed

  • ✅ Bulletproof DDoS protection included

  • ✅ Automatic updates and backups

  • ✅ Support & Troubleshooting

  • ✅ Optimized hardware for best performance

  • ✅ One-click mod installation

  • ✅ No port forwarding headaches

Whether you choose to self-host or use a managed solution, this guide should help you understand the process and troubleshoot common issues. Happy hosting!

Quick Connect Guide

For Self-Hosted Servers:

  1. Press F1 in Rust to open console

  2. Type: connect YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:28015

  3. Replace YOUR_PUBLIC_IP with your actual IP

For Physgun Servers:

  1. Find your server in the modded/community list

  2. Click connect and play instantly!

Last updated: 2025 | Based on current Rust server requirements and community feedback

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