How to Set Up a Rust Server | Complete Mod Setup Guide

Want to run your own Rust server with mods? This guide walks you through setting up a dedicated server from scratch and installing Oxide (uMod) with actual commands you can copy and paste.

What Do You Need to Set Up a Rust Server?

Let's start with the minimum requirements.

Hardware

RAM estimates by scale:

• 10 players / map size 3000: 8GB
• 50 players / map size 3500: 12-16GB
• 100 players / map size 4000: 16-24GB

Rust servers are heavily single-threaded, so clock speed matters more than core count.

Software

• SteamCMD — Valve's command-line tool for downloading server files
• Rust Dedicated Server — Steam App ID: 258550. Free to download via SteamCMD

How Do You Install the Server with SteamCMD?

Download SteamCMD

Windows

1. Create folders (e.g., C:\steamcmd and C:\rust_server)
2. Download the ZIP from the official SteamCMD page
3. Extract to C:\steamcmd and run steamcmd.exe. It will self-update on first launch

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 curl wget screen
mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

Download the Rust Server

Windows (one-liner)

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

Linux

./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir "/home/steam/rust_server" +login anonymous +app_update 258550 validate +quit

Key points:

• login anonymous works fine — Rust Dedicated Server supports anonymous download
• validate repairs corrupted files. Always use it on first install
• Download size is approximately 9GB

How Do You Launch and Configure the Server?

Startup Script

Windows — start_server.bat

@echo off
:start
RustDedicated.exe -batchmode ^
  +server.port 28015 ^
  +server.queryport 28016 ^
  +rcon.port 28017 ^
  +rcon.password "CHANGE_THIS_PASSWORD" ^
  +rcon.web 1 ^
  +server.level "Procedural Map" ^
  +server.seed 12345 ^
  +server.worldsize 3500 ^
  +server.maxplayers 50 ^
  +server.hostname "My Rust Server" ^
  +server.identity "myserver" ^
  -logfile "output.log"
goto start

The goto start loop auto-restarts the server after crashes.

Linux — start_server.sh

#!/bin/bash
./RustDedicated -batchmode -nographics \
  +server.port 28015 \
  +server.queryport 28016 \
  +rcon.port 28017 \
  +rcon.password "CHANGE_THIS_PASSWORD" \
  +rcon.web 1 \
  +server.level "Procedural Map" \
  +server.seed 12345 \
  +server.worldsize 3500 \
  +server.maxplayers 50 \
  +server.hostname "My Rust Server" \
  +server.identity "myserver" \
  -logfile "output.log"

chmod +x start_server.sh
screen -S rust ./start_server.sh

Use screen to keep the server running after SSH disconnect. Reattach with screen -x rust.

Key Parameters

server.cfg

You can fine-tune settings through a config file in addition to command-line arguments.

File location: server/<server.identity>/cfg/server.cfg

Example: C:\rust_server\server\myserver\cfg\server.cfg

server.hostname "My Rust Server"
server.description "Vanilla server. Wiped monthly."
server.maxplayers 50
server.worldsize 3500
server.saveinterval 600
server.pve false

Important notes:

• No + prefix needed in server.cfg (unlike command-line arguments)
• Never manually edit serverauto.cfg — the server overwrites it automatically
• The folder is created after the first server launch, so start the server once before creating server.cfg

Port Forwarding

To allow external connections, you need router port forwarding and firewall rules.

Required Ports

Windows Firewall

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Rust Game" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=28015
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Rust Query" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=28016
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Rust RCON" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=28017

Forward these ports to your server's local IP address in your router settings. The interface varies by router model — search for your router name + "port forwarding" for specific instructions.

Connection Test

Press F1 in the Rust client to open the console, then type:

client.connect localhost:28015

For external connections, use your public IP:

client.connect 203.0.113.1:28015

How Do You Install Oxide (uMod) for Mods?

What Is Oxide?

Oxide (officially rebranded as uMod) is a modding framework for Rust servers. It lets you add C# plugins that extend server functionality — from changing gather rates to adding teleportation systems.

The project started as "Oxide" and was rebranded to "uMod" in 2017 to support multiple games. Both names are still used interchangeably in the community.

Installation Steps

1. Stop the server completely
2. Download from umod.org/games/rust or GitHub Releases
   • Windows: Oxide.Rust.zip
   • Linux: Oxide.Rust-linux.zip
3. Extract the ZIP — you'll see a RustDedicated_Data/ folder
4. Copy this folder into your server root directory, overwriting existing files
5. Start the server
6. Type oxide.version in the console — if it shows a version number, you're good

Directory Structure

After first launch with Oxide, an oxide/ folder is created in your server root:

oxide/
  plugins/    ← Place .cs plugin files here
  config/     ← Plugin config files (auto-generated)
  data/       ← Plugin data storage
  logs/       ← Log files
  lang/       ← Localization files

Installing Plugins

1. Download .cs plugin files from umod.org/plugins
2. Drop them into oxide/plugins/
3. No restart needed — Oxide watches the folder and automatically compiles and loads new plugins

You'll see [Oxide] Loading plugin PluginName v1.0.0 in the console on success.

Management Commands

oxide.load PluginName      Load a plugin
oxide.unload PluginName    Unload a plugin
oxide.reload PluginName    Reload (after config changes)
oxide.plugins              List loaded plugins

Handling Rust Updates

Rust pushes updates every Thursday (Pacific Time). Each update changes Assembly-CSharp.dll, which breaks Oxide.

Update procedure:

1. Update Rust server via SteamCMD
2. Check Oxide.Rust GitHub Releases for a matching version
3. Download and reinstall (overwrite copy)
4. Restart the server

The Oxide team typically releases a compatible version within the same day. Until it's out, run vanilla or keep the server offline.

What Are the Best Plugins to Install?

Server Management

Gameplay

Events

Quality of Life

Find plugins at umod.org/plugins and codefling.com. Codefling has more paid plugins but generally higher quality.

Permission Basics

Control who can use what with Oxide's permission system:

oxide.group add vip                          Create a group
oxide.usergroup add PlayerName vip           Add a player to a group
oxide.grant group vip teleport.use           Grant permission to a group
oxide.grant user PlayerName gather.rate2x    Grant directly to a player

Two groups exist by default: default (all players) and admin.

Can You Set Up a Server More Easily with a VPS?

If SteamCMD, port forwarding, and weekly Oxide updates sound like a hassle, a game-focused VPS can skip most of that work.

Game VPS services like XServer VPS for Game and ConoHa for GAME offer Rust server templates that set everything up automatically. Select the template, sign up, and you're done — no SteamCMD, no port forwarding.

Home Server vs VPS

For a casual group of 3-5 friends, a home server works fine. For 10+ players with 24/7 uptime, a VPS makes more sense overall.

Wrapping Up

Setting up a Rust server isn't hard once you know the steps:

1. Download via SteamCMD using App ID 258550
2. Create a startup script and open ports (UDP 28015, 28016 / TCP 28017)
3. Install Oxide (uMod) by overwriting RustDedicated_Data/
4. Drop plugin .cs files into oxide/plugins/ — that's it for mods

Just remember to reinstall Oxide after each weekly Rust update.

If the local setup feels like too much, game VPS services like ConoHa for GAME and XServer VPS for Game let you spin up a server in minutes with their Rust templates.