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How to Pair Rust+ With Your Own Rust Server

Set the Rust+ companion port, expose it over TCP, restart your server, and pair through Esc → Rust+ → Pair with Server.
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To pair Rust+ with a server you run yourself, configure a reachable companion-app port in server.cfg, set the server’s public IP, restart, then use Esc → Rust+ → Pair with Server in Rust and approve the pairing in the phone app. The companion port must be TCP and at least 10000.

What you need before pairing

Rust+ is a companion connection between the Rust game server and the mobile app. The game server must be running and joinable, and a separate companion service must be reachable from the internet. A server that works for players but cannot accept the companion connection will not appear in Rust+.

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  • A Rust server you can configure, either through a hosting panel or its files.
  • Permission to edit server.cfg or equivalent startup configuration.
  • A companion port set to 10000 or higher.
  • A stable public IP address or hostname that points to the server’s network.
  • TCP access to the companion port through the host firewall, router, and any cloud security group.
  • The Rust+ mobile app signed in on your phone.

Port labels and menu text can change with Rust server and app updates. The paths below match the current documented flow, but check the labels shown by your installed build if they differ.

Choose the correct Rust+ companion port

The companion service does not necessarily use the same port as the game connection. The official Rust Wiki documents this default formula:

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Companion port = the larger of (game port + 67) and (RCon port + 67).

With the standard ports unchanged, that produces 28082. Do not assume that number applies to every installation. A custom game or RCon port changes the calculated value, and rented-server providers may assign an entirely different App Port.

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Server type Which port to use Where to confirm it
Self-hosted at home or on your own VPS A port you choose, subject to the 10000-or-higher requirement app.info in the server console after configuration
Hosted or rented server The App Port assigned by the provider; it may not be 28082 The provider’s control panel or app.info
Default-port installation 28082, when the documented default formula applies app.info; treat the displayed value as authoritative

Community discussions sometimes claim a different default, such as the game port plus one, or report success without explicitly setting app.port. Those reports conflict with the official documentation. Use the value shown by app.info and the official formula rather than an unverified forum rule.

Configure server.cfg

On a self-hosted server, add the companion settings to the server’s server.cfg. A minimal configuration looks like this:

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app.port 28082
app.publicip 203.0.113.10

Replace the example address with the server’s actual public IPv4 address. The app.publicip value is an IP address only; do not append a colon and port number.

app.port

This sets the TCP port on which the Rust+ companion service listens. Choose a free port of 10000 or higher, or use the port calculated by the default formula. If another process already occupies that port, the companion service cannot bind correctly, so select another free port and expose that same number in your firewall and router.

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app.publicip

Set this when the mobile app is given the wrong address for the server. It should be the public address reachable from outside your network, not a private address such as 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x. If your public address changes, update the setting and restart the server.

app.listenip for unusual network layouts

Most installations do not need app.listenip. The official guidance reserves it for unusual networking arrangements. If the companion service is binding to the wrong interface, set app.listenip to the server’s public IP, then restart and verify the result with app.info. Do not add it merely because pairing is slow; first verify the port, forwarding, and public address.

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Verify the active settings with app.info

After editing the configuration, run app.info in the Rust server console. Use the output to confirm:

  • The companion service is running.
  • The active companion port is the one you intend to expose.
  • The listening address is appropriate for your network.
  • No other process or startup argument silently replaced the value from server.cfg.

If app.info reports a different port from the one in your file, use the reported port when configuring forwarding, or inspect your startup parameters and host panel for an override. The live value matters more than the value typed into the file.

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Make the companion port reachable from the internet

The port must be reachable over TCP from outside the server’s network. Opening it only on the operating system is insufficient if a router or cloud firewall still blocks it.

Self-hosted behind a home router

  1. Give the server computer a reserved LAN address so the forwarding rule does not break after a DHCP change.
  2. Create a router port-forwarding rule for the exact companion TCP port shown by app.info.
  3. Forward that external port to the server computer’s internal address and the same internal port, unless your router deliberately maps different numbers.
  4. Add an inbound TCP rule for the same port in the computer’s firewall.
  5. If you use an additional modem, gateway, or managed firewall, repeat the rule there or place the server network in the correct routed segment.

Use the public address from outside your home network when testing. Testing the public address from the same LAN can fail on routers that do not support NAT loopback, even when internet clients can connect.

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Self-hosted on a VPS or dedicated machine

Allow the companion TCP port in the operating-system firewall and in the provider’s network security group or firewall. A cloud instance can have the process listening locally while the provider edge still drops every packet.

Hosted servers

Rented-server providers commonly manage the underlying firewall and may allocate an App Port that differs from 28082. Enter the assigned value in any panel field provided for Rust+ or App Port, and use that value for pairing. If the panel does not display it, run app.info where the host allows console access. Do not create a home-router forwarding rule for a hosted server; the provider owns that network path.

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Restart after every port or address change

Rust applies the companion port and IP changes at startup. Stop and start the server, or use the host’s restart control, after changing app.port, app.publicip, or app.listenip. Then run app.info again and confirm that the live values survived the restart.

Restarting also helps distinguish a configuration problem from a stale process: if the service binds successfully only after a clean restart, an earlier process may have been holding the port.

Pair from the game and phone

Once the server is running and reachable, complete the two-part pairing flow.

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  1. Launch Rust and join the server normally. Pairing is offered for the server you are currently playing on.
  2. Press Esc to open the in-game menu.
  3. Open Rust+.
  4. Select Pair with Server.
  5. Watch the phone running the Rust+ app for the pairing notification. Accept it when it arrives.
  6. If no notification appears, open the app directly and choose Pair Server when the server is listed.
  7. Confirm that the server appears in the app and that its status is connected before leaving the game.

The phone step is not optional: selecting the in-game command starts the request, but the app must approve it. Keep notifications enabled while pairing, or use the app’s manual pairing screen.

Hosted versus self-hosted pairing decisions

Question Self-hosted Hosted
Who chooses the App Port? You choose it, provided it is at least 10000 and unused. The host may assign it.
What must be exposed? The chosen TCP port through router and server firewall. The provider’s assigned port through the provider’s network.
Where should you look first? server.cfg, then app.info. The panel’s App Port field, then app.info.
Is 28082 guaranteed? Only when the default formula applies. No; host allocation can differ.

This distinction explains many apparently contradictory instructions. A guide written for a rented server may omit router forwarding, while a home-server guide must include it. Apply only the network steps that match where your server actually runs.

Troubleshoot “Rust+ not connecting”

The server does not appear in the app

  1. Join the server in Rust first. If the game server is offline or not joinable, the companion app cannot complete pairing.
  2. Run app.info and record the actual companion port.
  3. Check that the port is 10000 or higher and is the same number configured in the router, host panel, operating-system firewall, and cloud firewall.
  4. Confirm that the server’s public IP is correct and that app.publicip contains no port suffix.
  5. Restart the server after correcting any value, then try the in-game pairing command again.

“Pair with Server” is missing

Make sure you are inside the target server rather than at the main menu, and open Rust+ from the Esc menu while connected. If the option remains absent, verify that the installed server and client builds support the current Rust+ flow and that the server has completed startup. Menu labels may differ after a game update; use the Rust+ entry associated with the current server session.

The notification never arrives

  • Open the mobile app manually and look for the server under Pair Server.
  • Allow notifications for the app and ensure the phone has an internet connection.
  • Check that the companion TCP port is publicly reachable rather than merely listening on the LAN.
  • Verify that app.publicip points to the address your phone should use.

You changed the port and an old pairing stopped working

A port change can invalidate an existing pairing. Remove the server entry from the phone app and pair it again after the server has restarted and app.info shows the new port. This re-pairing behavior is reported by community users; it is a practical recovery step rather than a guarantee for every app version.

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The server works locally but not from the internet

That pattern almost always indicates forwarding or filtering. Recheck the destination LAN address, the external and internal port numbers, TCP versus UDP, the server firewall, and any upstream modem or cloud security rule. The Rust+ requirement is internet reachability of the companion TCP port; a successful local connection does not prove that requirement.

A repeatable validation checklist

  • Configuration: app.port is set to a free value of 10000 or higher.
  • Address: app.publicip is the correct public IP and contains no port.
  • Binding: app.listenip is used only when the server needs an explicit interface.
  • Live state: app.info confirms the running companion port after restart.
  • Network: The exact TCP port is allowed through every relevant firewall and forwarded correctly for self-hosted servers.
  • Game session: You can join the server before starting pairing.
  • Pairing: You selected Esc → Rust+ → Pair with Server while connected to that server.
  • Phone: You accepted the request or used Pair Server manually.

Following the checklist in this order prevents the most common mistake: trying to pair repeatedly in the app before the companion service is listening on the right public port.

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