Creating and Setting Up a Rust Server

Creating a Rust server at RespawnHost

This guide takes you from ordering to your first login on your own Rust server. The server itself is online in under 90 seconds — only the first map generation needs a little patience afterwards.

Requirements

• A RespawnHost account — register here
• Credit on the account (prepaid system, top up e.g. via PayPal or credit card)
• Rust on Steam (PC or Mac)

Step 1: Start your order

1. Open the Rust order page (or go via respawnhost.com/en/rust-server-hosting and click Get your server).
2. Log in if you haven’t already.

Step 2: Choose a billing model

RespawnHost offers two models — you pick during checkout:

Model	How it works	Ideal for
Prepaid plan	Fixed price for a term (1, 3, 6 or 12 months — 1 month = 30 days), paid upfront from your credit. 3 months: −10 %, 6 months: −15 %, 12 months: −20 %.	24/7 operation, communities
Pay-per-use	Billed by the second — it only costs while the server is running. Server off = no costs.	Casual sessions, wipe weekends

Step 3: Choose package and location

• Package: Choose by player count and planned map size — a small group is fine on the entry package (8 GB RAM), larger community servers go for 16–20 GB. Details in How much RAM does a Rust server need?
• Location: Germany (Frankfurt) for Europe, USA (Salt Lake City and Charlotte) for North America or India (Noida) for India and South Asia. Pick whichever is closest to you and your players.

Then complete the order — the server installs automatically and is ready in under 90 seconds.

Step 4: Set the basics

In the panel you’ll find your server’s startup variables under Configuration:

Setting	Meaning
Server Name (server.hostname)	Name in the server browser — pick something memorable
World Size (server.worldsize)	1000–6000, default 3000; 3000–4500 is typical. Bigger = more RAM
World Seed (server.seed)	Determines the map layout — same seed + same size = same map
Max Players (server.maxplayers)	Default 40, freely adjustable — slots are unlimited at RespawnHost
Description / Server Tags	Your appearance in the server browser (\n for line breaks)
Modding Framework	vanilla (default), oxide or carbon — see the plugins guide

All other gameplay rules (decay, PvE, game modes …) are covered in Configuring your Rust server.

Step 5: Start the server and connect

1. Click Start in the panel. On the first start the server generates the procedural map — depending on map size and hardware this takes several minutes up to a quarter of an hour, very large 6000 maps even longer. Later starts (saved map) are much faster. Then the status shows “Online”.

2. Launch Rust and open the console with **F1**. 3. Type:

client.connect YOUR-IP:28015

You’ll find IP and port in the panel. Alternatively, find your server in the in-game server browser under Community (or under Modded once Oxide is installed) — search for your server name.

Becoming admin

Rust admins are registered via their SteamID64. Run this in the server console in the panel:

ownerid YOUR-STEAMID64 "YourName"
server.writecfg

Then reconnect once (log out and rejoin). All details and the full command list: Rust admin commands.

Good to know

Next steps

• Rent a Rust server — Pay-Per-Use, online in under 90 seconds
• Configuring your Rust server — server.cfg, convars, tags & game modes
• How much RAM do I need? — recommendations by player count and map size
• Installing plugins (Oxide/Carbon) — gather rates, kits, teleport & more