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Rust server operators do not buy or install a separate anti-cheat package in the documented dedicated-server setup. Install the server with SteamCMD, run the normal Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) path, and then decide whether your server is part of Facepunch’s newer Secure rollout, which adds TPM and Secure Boot requirements for joining players. Whitelists and shared ban services can control access, but they do not replace client anti-cheat.
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This guide reflects Facepunch documentation checked on 14 October 2026. Secure-server coverage, names and administrative settings can change as the rollout expands.
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What “anti-cheat” means on a Rust server
Three different controls are often called anti-cheat. Treating them as separate layers prevents the most common setup mistakes.
1. The ordinary EAC-secure connection
Everyday public Rust play uses Easy Anti-Cheat as part of the normal client and server connection. Facepunch’s EAC troubleshooting guidance states that launching RustClient.exe with EAC disabled limits a player to EAC-unsecure servers. Those unsecure servers do not appear in the regular server browser, so disabling EAC is not a way to make a normal public server easier to join.
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For an operator, this usually means avoiding any launch method that disables EAC and not adding an unverified server command intended to turn protection on or off. The documented dedicated-server installation does not list a paid EAC add-on.
2. Secure server mode
Secure mode is an additional requirement introduced by Facepunch. On selected servers, joining players must have both a hardware-backed TPM and Secure Boot enabled on their computers. It is not the same thing as installing EAC, and it is not simply a different spelling of an EAC-secure server.
Facepunch’s support article says the requirement was enabled on select servers beginning in March 2026. Facepunch initially reported six of its own servers in the first Secure rollout, and a later Livestock announcement said more Facepunch servers were being added. That list is a live-service rollout, not a permanent specification for every community server.
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3. Access and moderation controls
A whitelist decides which Steam accounts may enter a private server. A centralized-ban endpoint checks a player’s SteamID against a list shared by several servers. Both are administrative controls. Neither scans a player’s computer or substitutes for EAC.
Install and start the dedicated server
Before configuring security, establish a working vanilla server. Facepunch’s Rust Wiki documents SteamCMD as the installation and update method and identifies App ID 258550 for the dedicated server.
- Install SteamCMD and create a dedicated-server directory. Use a directory that your service account can read and write. Keep a separate location for configuration and backups so an update does not destroy your operational files.
- Download or update the server files. Run SteamCMD with the anonymous account and the Rust dedicated-server App ID:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 258550 validate +quitThe
validatepass checks the installed files. Repeat the update command during maintenance windows when Facepunch publishes a server update. - Put persistent settings in
server.cfg. Facepunch recommends keeping most long-lived settings in this file rather than relying only on a shell command. Typical settings include the game port, map, seed, world size, player limit, hostname, server identity, RCON port and logging options. A simple configuration might look like:server.port 28015 server.level "Procedural Map" server.seed 24681357 server.worldsize 3500 server.maxplayers 100 server.hostname "Example Rust Community" server.identity "example-community" rcon.port 28016 rcon.password "use-a-unique-long-secret" logfile "rust.log"These values are examples of settings, not credentials to copy. Choose a long, unique RCON password, do not reuse an account password, and restrict the RCON port at your firewall or private network boundary.
- Launch
RustDedicated. Start the executable with the identity and configuration you created. If you keep settings on the command line instead of inserver.cfg, use the same categories shown above: port, level, seed, world size, player limit, hostname, identity, RCON and logging. - Open only the required network paths. Permit the game port through the host firewall and expose RCON only to the administration network or approved addresses. The exact transport and port-forwarding arrangement depends on your hosting environment; do not expose an unrestricted RCON listener to the internet.
- Confirm a normal EAC-secure join. Connect from a client launched through the normal Rust/EAC path. Check the server console and log for startup errors, then find the server using the expected identity and hostname.
When you use uMod/Oxide later, plan the update sequence. Vanilla SteamCMD updates can overwrite plugin-support files, so update the server, restore or update the plugin framework as required, and then verify plugins before reopening the server.
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Choose the security level deliberately
Use standard EAC-secure access for a broad public server
The standard choice gives players the normal Rust launch experience. Players do not need to change firmware settings, and the server remains compatible with the ordinary EAC-backed browser path. This is the practical default when maximizing the eligible player pool matters more than requiring the newest Facepunch hardware checks.
Do not try to manufacture this state with guessed commands such as server.eac or server.secure. The documented setup does not establish those as valid controls. Launch the server normally and keep client EAC enabled.
Understand what Secure mode changes
Secure mode adds TPM and Secure Boot requirements to the players who join a participating server. It may exclude otherwise legitimate players whose hardware, firmware or operating-system installation cannot meet those requirements. That smaller eligible pool is an operational trade-off, not a configuration error.
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Facepunch controls a staged rollout across selected servers. The support documentation and the later announcement reflect a point-in-time list, so check the current Facepunch support material or server announcement before promising that a particular server is Secure. If you operate a community server and the current documentation does not identify a supported operator switch, do not enable an unverified console variable. Verify any future setting in the live Rust server console and current official changelog first.
Facepunch said it observed a reduced cheater presence on Secure servers one month after release. That statement is a qualitative observation from Facepunch; no percentage, sample size or independent methodology was supplied. Secure mode should therefore be treated as an additional barrier, not a guarantee of a cheat-free server.
Explain the player-side TPM and Secure Boot requirement
TPM and Secure Boot are enabled on the joining player’s computer, not installed as server files. Facepunch’s support guide directs players to motherboard-specific instructions because menu names, firmware versions and available features vary.
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- Check hardware and firmware support. The computer must expose a compatible TPM implementation and UEFI Secure Boot. Some systems use a firmware implementation rather than a separate module; others may not support the features at all.
- Open the motherboard’s UEFI setup. Use the manufacturer’s documented key or recovery path during startup. Look for a TPM setting, which may be labelled with a vendor term such as Intel PTT or AMD fTPM, and enable it if supported.
- Enable Secure Boot. Secure Boot may require UEFI boot mode and may be unavailable while legacy or compatibility boot settings are active. Follow the board and operating-system vendor’s migration instructions rather than changing boot mode blindly.
- Save, reboot and verify. Confirm in the operating system that the security processor and Secure Boot are active, then start Rust through the normal EAC launch path and retry the server.
Firmware changes can make an existing installation unbootable if performed without preparation. Players should back up important data, record their current boot settings and use the motherboard maker’s instructions. If a machine cannot provide TPM and Secure Boot, it cannot satisfy a Secure server’s client requirement; joining a standard EAC-secure server remains a separate case.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use a whitelist for a genuinely private server
Rust has no built-in whitelist system according to Facepunch’s wiki. If membership must be explicitly approved, install the Oxide/uMod plugin framework and a community whitelist plugin, then maintain the approved SteamID list.
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- Install the plugin framework for your server build. Match the framework release to the current Rust server version and keep a rollback copy of the framework and configuration.
- Install a maintained whitelist plugin. Review its documented permissions and commands, then add only the SteamIDs that should enter. Test with one approved and one unapproved account before announcing the server.
- Make administration resilient. Record the approved list outside the live server, restrict who can change it, and recheck the plugin after every Rust or framework update. Vanilla SteamCMD updates may overwrite plugin-support files, so restore the framework and plugin in the planned order.
Facepunch also documents a built-in skip-queue alternative. Setting server.maxplayers 0 and granting eligible users skip-queue access can prioritize selected players, but it is not the same as a strict whitelist: it changes queue behavior rather than providing a complete approved-only access list.
Share bans across multiple servers
Operators running several servers can use Facepunch’s centralized-ban integration. Set server.bansServerEndpoint to an HTTP or HTTPS API that you operate. When a player joins, the dedicated server sends the player’s SteamID to that endpoint and uses the response to decide whether the account is banned.
Choose the failure policy
The companion setting server.bansServerFailureMode controls what happens when the API cannot be reached:
- Value 0: allow the player to enter when the service check fails. This keeps the server available during an API outage but can let a banned account through temporarily.
- Value 1: reject the join when the service check fails. This is fail-closed and protects the ban policy, but an outage can block every legitimate player.
Facepunch documents a default request timeout of five seconds and provides a timeout setting. A slow API therefore becomes part of the join path. Host the endpoint redundantly, monitor response time, authenticate and validate requests, and select the failure mode that matches your community’s tolerance for downtime. This integration is a shared moderation list, not a client anti-cheat scanner.
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Compare the four approaches
| Approach | What it does | Player impact | Operational cost or risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard EAC-secure server | Uses the regular EAC-backed join path | Players use the normal Rust launch flow | Does not add the newer TPM and Secure Boot requirement |
| Secure server | Adds TPM and Secure Boot checks for joining players | Some players must change firmware settings or may be unable to join | Smaller eligible pool; rollout and settings must be checked as they change |
| Whitelist plugin | Restricts entry to approved SteamIDs | Players must be approved before joining | Requires uMod/Oxide and ongoing plugin maintenance |
| Centralized bans | Checks an external shared ban list | Join decisions depend on the API response and failure policy | Requires an operated API; outages can allow or block joins depending on configuration |
Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The server is missing from the browser
- Verify the client was launched with EAC enabled. A client started with EAC disabled can connect only to EAC-unsecure servers, which Facepunch says are not shown in the browser.
- Check the server console for startup or port errors and confirm that the advertised identity and hostname are the ones you expect.
- Do not add an unverified
server.eacorserver.securecommand in an attempt to force visibility. Remove guessed settings and return to the documented launch path.
A player cannot join a Secure server
- Ask the player to confirm that TPM is enabled and recognized by the operating system.
- Ask the player to confirm Secure Boot is active, not merely that a UEFI menu contains the option.
- Have the player follow the motherboard-specific instructions from Facepunch’s support guidance. Hardware and firmware support are not universal.
- If the player’s computer cannot meet the requirement, direct them to a standard EAC-secure server instead of weakening the Secure requirement.
The whitelist stopped working after an update
- Check whether the vanilla SteamCMD update replaced plugin-support files.
- Restore the matching uMod/Oxide build and whitelist plugin, then reload the plugin and test both an approved and an unapproved account.
- Keep the approved SteamID list backed up so a framework reinstall does not erase membership.
Players are stuck at the join screen when centralized bans are enabled
- Measure the ban API response time and confirm the endpoint is reachable from the server host.
- Remember that Facepunch’s documented default request timeout is five seconds; slow responses can affect joins even when the API eventually recovers.
- Check
server.bansServerFailureMode. Value 1 intentionally rejects joins during an API failure, while value 0 permits them. - Decide the policy during a maintenance window, document it for moderators and monitor the endpoint continuously.
Pre-launch checklist
- Install or update App ID 258550 with SteamCMD.
- Store persistent server values in
server.cfgand keep backups. - Use a unique RCON password and restrict RCON network access.
- Launch
RustDedicatedwithout guessed anti-cheat switches. - Test a normal EAC-secure client connection.
- Decide whether the server is standard EAC-secure, part of Facepunch’s current Secure rollout, or a private community server with separate access controls.
- If using a whitelist, install and test uMod/Oxide and the plugin after every server update.
- If using shared bans, test the API, timeout behavior and failure mode before opening the server.
- Tell players clearly whether TPM and Secure Boot are required; do not describe a whitelist or ban API as anti-cheat.
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