How to Set Up a Rust Server: A Step-by-Step Guide

Rust is a pretty popular online survival game where players can engage in PvP combat and build their own bases. Hosting your Rust server grants you full control over the settings, mods, and who plays on it. This tutorial will walk you through how to set up a Rust server.

Using a Ready Host:

If you’d rather not get bogged down in all of the technical details involved with setting up your own server, then a host would be pretty easy to do. Highly recommended for the purchase of a Rust server is ScalaCube. Boasting high uptimes with 24/7 customer support, ScalaCube will have your server running smoothly without any hiccups. Due to the fact that it comes with easy setup options and a very intuitive interface, it’ll be a great choice for both beginners and proficient players who want to enjoy Rust without taking much pain about the nuances of server management.

Prerequisites:

• A Windows-based system (or Linux with some modifications)
• At least 4 GB of RAM, though 8 GB is recommended
• 6-8 GB free space for the server files
• A stable internet connection

Step 1: Download SteamCMD

SteamCMD is a command-line tool to handle Steam game servers.

1. Download SteamCMD:
2. Go to the official download page of SteamCMD.
3. Download the Windows Version.
4. Extract SteamCMD:
5. Extract its contents into a folder such as C:\\\\steamcmd
6. Run SteamCMD:

Start a command prompt, and run the steamcmd.exe. It will download the updates and give you a prompt.

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Step 2: Rust Dedicated Server Setup

Create a directory for the Rust server, for example:

C:\\rust_server.

Run SteamCMD to install Rust server files: In the SteamCMD command prompt, run these in sequence:

login anonymous

force_install_dir "C:\\rust_server"

app_update 258550 validate

quit

This will download and install the Rust dedicated server files into your desired directory, C:\\rust_server.

Step 3: Startup Script Creation

A startup script simplifies the process of firing up your Rust server with the settings you want.

Change directory to your Rust server directory: C:\\rust_server.

Create a new text file: Open Notepad and copy the following into it and save it:

@echo off

cls

echo Starting Rust Dedicated Server.

RustDedicated.exe -batchmode +server.port 28015 +server.level "Procedural Map" +server.seed 12345 +server.worldsize 4000 +server.maxplayers 100 +server.hostname "My Rust Server" +server.description "Welcome to my Rust server!" +server.url "http://mywebsite.com" +rcon.port 28016 +rcon.password "yourpassword" +server.identity "my_server_identity"

echo Rust server started. Press any key to close this window.

Pause

Save the file: Save the file as start_server.bat in your Rust server directory (C:\\\\rust_server).

Edit the script:

+server.port 28015: Game port for the server.

+server.level "Procedural Map": The style of the map. For example Procedural, Barren, HapisIsland, etc.

+server.seed 12345: Seed does the layout of the map.

+server.worldsize 4000: The world size (between 1000 and 6000)

+server.maxplayers 100: The number of max players on this server

+server.hostname "My Rust Server": Your server name.

+rcon.password "yourpassword" - The password to access the RCON (remote console).

Step 4: Port Forwarding

To allow others on the internet to access your server, you need to open, or more precisely forward some ports in your router.

Log into your router: Open your web browser and type your router’s IP address – commonly something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1-.

Find the port forwarding section. This is in a different place on every router, but it usually falls under “Advanced” or “Network Settings.”

Forward the following ports that you want to forward: Game Port: 28015 (or whatever you decided to use in the start_server.bat) RCON Port: 28016 (or whatever you decided to use as the RCON port) Set the protocol for the game port to UDP and the RCON port to TCP Save and apply changes.

Step 5: Running the Server

Start the server: Double-click on the start_server.bat file you created earlier. You’ll have a command prompt window open and your Rust server will start loading.

Wait for the server to finish loading: The server will print messages while it loads the map, initiates players among other data. Once the server states Server startup complete it is ready to have players join.

Step 6: Connect to Your Server

Find your local IP address by opening command prompt and typing in:

Ipconfig

Find the line that says IPv4 Address. It is the source of your local IP address. Join your server:

Open Rust, open a console with F1, and type the following:

client.connect [your_local_ip]:28015 Replace [your_local_ip] with the actual local IP address.

If you had set up the server on your PC, you could just type the following:

client.connect 127.0.0.1:28015

Share your public IP: In order for people to join, you’ll have to give them your public IP. You can find this out by searching in Google: “What is my IP?”. They can then join through typing the following:

client.connect [your_public_ip]:28015

Step 7: Manage Your Server

Rust servers can be managed through RCON (Remote Console).

1. Install an RCON tool: You have a few options, RustAdmin or Rusty, for example.
2. Connect to RCON: using the following information:
3. IP Address: Your server’s public IP address.
4. RCON Port: 28016 – Alternatively, this is the port you specified.
5. Password: The RCON password you set in the startup script. Basic RCON commands:
6. status: Lists player information. kick “playername” Bans a player from the server. ban “playername”.
7. server.save: Forces a manual save of the server.

Step 8: Backup and Automate Server Restarts (Optional)

To ensure the smooth operation of your server, it’s a good idea to automate restarts and backups.

1. Create a server backup script: In your Rust server folder, create another .bat file called backup_server.bat, with the following content:

@echo off

echo Backing up Rust server...

xcopy "C:\rust_server\server\my_server_identity" "C:\rust_backups\%date:~10,4%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~7,2%" /E /I /Y

echo Backup complete.

Automate server restarts: You can set up an automated task using Windows Task Scheduler to restart the server at a specific time.

Conclusion

Setting up a Rust server allows the owner to create and customize their gaming experience. Whether it is just to play with friends or to run a large online community, running your own server gives full control. Always ensure that a server has the latest patches and run active management with RCON tools.