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Reliable Rust administration comes from treating the server as a layered system: define an identity and resource budget, separate startup and persistent configuration, expose only the ports you need, protect RCON, stage updates around Oxide, and rehearse restores before a wipe or failure. The procedures below follow Facepunch’s current documentation and its March 2026 plugin guidance.
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Design the server before installing it
Start with an operating plan rather than accepting every default. Decide whether this is a vanilla, Community-listed, or modded server; choose a region and host; and record the values you will use for the identity, map, seed, world size, player cap, hostname, and description. Facepunch notes that larger procedural worlds consume more disk space and memory, while higher player counts require more CPU capacity. These are capacity relationships, not guaranteed performance benchmarks, so leave headroom for entities, plugins, and players.
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The server.identity value names the server’s data directory. A typical path is rust/server/server.identity/. Keeping each installation in its own identity lets one Rust installation run multiple independent servers with separate maps, saves, player data, configuration, and plugin data. Use descriptive identities such as survival_eu or testing_weekly; do not reuse an identity between production and test instances.
Decide what “private” means
A password in the server description is not a complete access-control system. Rust does not provide a built-in traditional whitelist. For a genuinely private environment, combine network controls with an unlisted or hidden configuration and tell players exactly how they should connect. Facepunch’s hidden-server guidance is intended for administrators who understand firewall rules, dedicated hosting, DDoS protection, and rapid IP changes: Creating a hidden, whitelisted server.
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Install with an explicit startup command
Facepunch’s Creating a server guide documents startup parameters for the dedicated executable. Keep essential identity, port, and access settings in the launch command so the process can be reproduced after a migration or crash. The exact executable path differs by operating system and install method; the following is a pattern, not a copy-and-paste production command:
RustDedicated -batchmode
+server.identity "survival_eu"
+server.port 28015
+server.queryport 28017
+rcon.port 28016
+rcon.password "replace-with-a-long-unique-secret"
+server.level "Procedural Map"
+server.seed 123456
+server.worldsize 3500
+server.maxplayers 100
+server.hostname "Example Rust Server"Choose your own ports, seed, world size, and player cap. The values above illustrate the arrangement used in Facepunch’s documentation: game port 28015, RCON port 28016, and a separate query port. Never publish the example password.
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Create rust/server/survival_eu/cfg/server.cfg for groups of settings that should survive restarts. This is where you can keep hostname text, gameplay convars, descriptions, rates, and other persistent options that do not need to be supplied by the process launcher. The Rust Wiki states that server.cfg is read at startup and takes priority over lower-priority automatic settings. Do not treat the generated ServerAuto.cfg as your primary configuration file; automatic tools may rewrite it.
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Understand precedence when values conflict
OxideMod documents this order, from highest to lowest priority:
| Priority | Source | Administrative use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Command-line parameters | Identity, ports, RCON, and values that must be fixed before the server loads. |
| 2 | server.cfg |
Persistent groups of server settings managed as text. |
| 3 | ServerAuto.cfg |
Lower-priority automatic values; avoid editing it as your source of truth. |
If a setting appears to be ignored, search all three locations, remove duplicate definitions, restart, and confirm the effective value in the server console. This precedence is described in OxideMod’s Server Setup documentation.
Open only the ports the server needs
Facepunch’s example separates the game, query, and RCON ports. The game port and query port must be reachable and must not be the same port. The game and query ports use UDP; create matching firewall and router rules, and verify that your provider allows inbound traffic on those ports. RCON is a separate administration endpoint and must have a password; connect to it with remote-administration software rather than exposing your operating-system shell.
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Port checklist
- Game port: the port players use to join, such as 28015 in the example.
- Query port: a separate UDP port used for server discovery and status queries.
- RCON port: a dedicated remote-console port, such as 28016 in the example, protected by a secret password.
- Firewall scope: allow only the ports and source networks required by players, monitoring, and administrators.
Protect RCON as a credential
Use a long, unique random password that is not reused for hosting, email, or operating-system accounts. Store it in a secrets manager or restricted configuration file, not in a public repository, support ticket, or screenshot. Limit firewall exposure to administrator networks where practical. If the password is disclosed, change it immediately, restart the server, and review console logs for unexpected commands. Facepunch labels the password in its example as something administrators must change; treat that value as a placeholder, never a default.
Build an update process that does not erase Oxide
Rust updates can change the server protocol and break plugins. Facepunch specifically says Oxide must be updated after server updates and warns that running SteamCMD in a startup script can revert files to vanilla. An automatic restart loop that updates first can therefore bring the server back online without its mod framework or with incompatible plugins.
Stage every update
- Announce maintenance and stop accepting new players.
- Make a verified copy of the complete server identity folder, including saves, configuration, and plugin data.
- Record the current Rust build, Oxide/uMod build, plugin versions, and active convars.
- Update the Rust server files with SteamCMD or your host’s documented updater while the process is stopped.
- Install the Oxide/uMod build that matches the updated Rust server.
- Update plugins in a test identity first. Read each plugin’s release notes for API, permission, configuration, and data changes.
- Start the test instance, inspect startup logs, connect as an administrator, and exercise critical commands.
- Only then update production, restart, and watch logs before removing the maintenance notice.
Recover from a vanilla reset
If an update leaves the server running without Oxide, stop it rather than allowing players to create data in a partially modded state. Restore the backed-up Oxide files or install the matching framework again, then verify that the oxide (or equivalent framework) directories and plugin load messages are present. Disable plugins that throw errors until their authors publish compatible versions. Keep the pre-update backup until the new build has survived a normal play session and a restart.
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Back up the identity folder and know what a wipe changes
The identity directory is the recovery boundary. Facepunch’s Getting started with your rust server guide identifies save, map, blueprint, player, and configuration data and notes that the server creates backups whenever it saves. Those automatic save-time copies are useful for rollback, but they are not independent disaster recovery: a disk failure, accidental deletion, or compromised host can remove both the live data and local copies.
What to copy
- Map and world save files.
- Player and blueprint data, according to the wipe policy you have announced.
cfg/server.cfg, launch scripts, and any other configuration files.- Oxide/uMod plugins, plugin configuration, permission data, and plugin-generated data.
- Administrative notes such as the current build, ports, RCON rotation date, and restore order.
Set a schedule based on risk
The official guide confirms that saves create backups but does not prescribe an external interval. Choose one based on your wipe cadence and the value of player progress: for example, retain several recent save-time copies, copy the identity folder to storage on a different machine, and take an additional snapshot before every update or forced wipe. Encrypt archives that contain player or administrative data, restrict access, and periodically perform a restore into a test identity. A backup you have never restored is an assumption, not a recovery plan.
Distinguish map, save, and blueprint wipes
A forced wipe can change protocol and map data, requiring you to replace or regenerate the relevant world files. A blueprint wipe is separate: preserve or remove blueprint data according to the announced policy rather than deleting the entire identity directory. Keep a dated archive before each wipe so you can answer exactly what was removed and restore the prior state if a maintenance action was incorrect.
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Apply plugin policy before choosing a server listing
Facepunch’s plugin guidance was updated March 4, 2026. Gameplay-changing and UI-changing plugins do not fit the Community rules, while administration and anti-cheat plugins are allowed when they do not alter gameplay for players. A server can still run gameplay or UI modifications in a modded environment, but it should not present itself as a Community server under those rules.
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Plugins generally compatible with Community rules
- Administration tools that manage bans, moderation, permissions, or logs without changing player mechanics.
- Anti-cheat measures that detect or prevent cheating without granting a gameplay advantage.
- Queue or chat-moderation tools that control access or communication without changing the game rules.
Plugins that require a different classification
Anything that changes weapons, loot, progression, economy, movement, building rules, player abilities, or the game’s user interface changes the player experience. Classify and describe the server honestly rather than trying to hide those changes behind a Community label. Also avoid treating a “vanilla convar” as automatically harmless: Facepunch warns that most convars are development or debugging controls and that changing defaults can have undesirable performance side effects. Use them at your own risk, test them under load, and document every non-default value.
Monitor behavior, not just whether the process is running
A green process status does not prove a healthy server. Review console and plugin logs after every restart, then correlate player reports with tick or frame behavior, CPU, memory, network usage, save times, and plugin errors. A recurring error from one plugin can cause lag or data corruption even when players can still connect.
Use a practical incident loop
- Capture the time, affected players, map position, command or action, and relevant log lines.
- Check whether the symptom began after a Rust, Oxide, plugin, convar, or map change.
- Disable one suspected plugin in a test identity, reproduce the issue, and compare behavior.
- Roll back the smallest change that restores stability; do not delete live data as a first response.
- Record the fix and update the runbook so another administrator can repeat it.
Keep development and debugging convars out of production unless you understand their cost. Facepunch’s warning about performance side effects is especially important on high-population worlds, where an apparently minor setting can increase CPU work or memory pressure.
Choose self-hosting or managed infrastructure deliberately
| Option | Advantages | Responsibilities and risks |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted or dedicated machine | Maximum control over files, networking, automation, and custom tooling; easy to run isolated test identities. | You manage patching, firewall rules, backups, monitoring, DDoS response, hardware capacity, and IP changes. |
| Managed Rust hosting | Provider maintenance, administrative panels, support, DDoS protection, and faster infrastructure changes may reduce operational work. | You depend on the provider’s backup retention, update sequencing, access controls, and ability to export your identity data. |
Whichever model you choose, verify that you can download the complete identity folder, configure firewall rules, rotate the server IP quickly, and obtain timely help during a protocol update or attack. Facepunch’s hosting guidance emphasizes a dedicated environment, strong DDoS protection, and a provider capable of changing IPs quickly for administrators running hidden or private servers.
Use a repeatable daily and release checklist
Daily operations
- Confirm the process, ports, query response, and RCON access are healthy.
- Scan logs for plugin exceptions, authentication failures, save errors, and repeated warnings.
- Check CPU, memory, disk space, and recent save duration.
- Review player reports and moderation actions; verify that permissions match staff roles.
- Confirm the latest independent backup completed and can be read.
Before opening after maintenance
- Validate the Rust and Oxide versions and record them.
- Test joining, spawning, moderation commands, chat, queues, and any critical administration workflow.
- Confirm the advertised listing classification matches the actual plugins and convars.
- Check that the hostname clearly identifies the server as unofficial; Facepunch’s community guidelines say, “Don’t call it ‘official’. It should be clear that your Server is unofficial – don’t pretend to be us.”
- Keep the pre-maintenance backup until players have connected and a normal save has completed.
These habits turn Rust administration from ad-hoc firefighting into controlled change management: every setting has a known source, every exposed port has a purpose, every update has a rollback, and every plugin has a policy and compatibility check.
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