How to Make a Rust Server

Setting up a Rust server looks intimidating at first, but it’s really just a handful of SteamCMD commands. Here’s the process for both Windows and Linux.

1. Install SteamCMD

SteamCMD is a command-line version of the Steam client, used to install dedicated servers for games like Rust.

Windows: Create a folder at C:\steamcmd, download SteamCMD for Windows, and extract it there.

Linux: Create a dedicated user first (run as root):

useradd -m steam
cd /home/steam

Then install the package for your distro:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install steamcmd

# 64-bit systems also need multiverse/i386 support:
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install lib32gcc1 steamcmd

# RHEL/CentOS
yum install steamcmd

macOS:

mkdir ~/Steam && cd ~/Steam
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_osx.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

2. Launch SteamCMD

# Windows
cd C:\steamcmd
steamcmd

# Linux
cd ~
steamcmd

# macOS
cd ~/steamcmd
./steamcmd.sh

3. Install the Rust Server

Once SteamCMD updates and drops you at the Steam> prompt, log in and download the server files (adjust the install path for your OS):

login anonymous
force_install_dir "c:\rustserver\"
app_update 258550
quit

This installs a default vanilla Rust server. You can save these commands as a .bat or .sh script to rerun whenever the game updates.

4. Run and Configure the Server

On Windows, a typical launch script (RunServer.bat) looks like this — edit the values to configure your server:

C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe +login anonymous +force_install_dir c:\rustserver\ +app_update 258550 +quit
RustDedicated.exe -batchmode
+server.port 28015
+server.level "Procedural Map"
+server.seed 1234
+server.worldsize 4000
+server.maxplayers 10
+server.hostname "Your Server Name"
+server.description "Description shown on server connection window."
+rcon.port 28016
+rcon.password letmein
+rcon.web 1

The settings you’ll most commonly adjust:

Make sure whatever port you choose isn’t already in use by another service (port 80, for example, is commonly taken by web servers). If you’re running multiple Rust instances, give each its own server.port and rcon.port.

RCon and Moderation

RCon (Remote Console) is used for admin actions — granting moderator/admin, spawning items, and more. You can connect with a GUI-based RCon tool, or use the in-game F1 console.

To ban a player from the in-game console, press F1 and run:

ban "name" "reason"

The reason is optional and gets logged to cfg/bans.cfg for future reference.

Rust servers are resource-hungry, especially with a large world size and player count — a dedicated server or high-tier Windows VPS from KwikServer will keep things running smoothly as your player base grows.