How to Set Up a Rust Game Server on Linux

Overview

Rust is a popular survival game known for its competitive PvP gameplay. Running a dedicated server requires significant resources but gives you full control over your community.

Requirements

• A Breeze with at least 8 GB RAM
• 4 CPU cores
• 30 GB disk space

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y steamcmd

Step 2: Create Server User and Install

sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/rust rustserver
sudo -u rustserver steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/rust/server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 258550 validate \
  +quit

Step 3: Create a Start Script

sudo -u rustserver tee /opt/rust/start.sh <<'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/rust/server
./RustDedicated -batchmode \
  +server.port 28015 \
  +server.queryport 28016 \
  +rcon.port 28082 \
  +rcon.password "changeme" \
  +rcon.web 1 \
  +server.hostname "My Rust Server" \
  +server.identity "myserver" \
  +server.maxplayers 50 \
  +server.worldsize 3500 \
  +server.seed 12345 \
  +server.saveinterval 300
EOF
chmod +x /opt/rust/start.sh

Step 4: Create a Systemd Service

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/rust.service <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=Rust Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
User=rustserver
WorkingDirectory=/opt/rust
ExecStart=/opt/rust/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=15
LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now rust

Step 5: Open Firewall Ports

sudo ufw allow 28015/udp
sudo ufw allow 28016/udp
sudo ufw allow 28082/tcp

World Size Guide

Installing Oxide (uMod)

Oxide adds plugin support to your Rust server:

cd /opt/rust/server
wget https://umod.org/games/rust/download -O Oxide.Rust.zip
unzip -o Oxide.Rust.zip
systemctl restart rust