Hosting Your Rust Server on a VPS: Step-by-Step Setup & Optimization

Whether you’re building a private realm for friends or launching a public battle arena, hosting your own Rust server on a VPS offers control, low latency, and customization. Here’s a complete, friendly guide to get you started—seam-free and powerful.

1. Why Use a VPS for Your Rust Server?

• Low latency: Choose a datacenter near your players for smooth gameplay.
• Dedicated CPU & RAM: No shared resources—your server runs without interruptions.
• Custom configuration: Tweak settings, install mods, and optimize freely.
• Scalable power: Grow RAM and CPU as your community expands.

2. VPS Requirements for a Solid Rust Experience

Community insights from Reddit and guides recommend:

• CPU: High single-core speed (≥ 3.5 GHz). Rust is mostly single-threaded, so clock rate matters most
• RAM: Minimum 8 GB for small servers; 12–16 GB for full gameplay environments
• Storage: NVMe SSD is ideal—much faster world loading and database writes than HDDs
• Network: At least 100 Mbps; if many players connect concurrently, aim for ≥ 1 Gbps

3. Step-by-Step Rust Server Setup on Linux VPS

A. Prepare Your VPS

1. Update your system: bashCopyEditsudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2. Create a dedicated steam user: bashCopyEditsudo adduser --disabled-login steam

B. Install SteamCMD

bash
sudo apt install steamcmd -y

C. Download Rust Server Files

bash

sudo -u steam bash -c \
"steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir /home/steam/rust \
app_update 258550 validate +quit

This installs the Rust server into /home/steam/rust.

D. Configure the Server

Create a start.sh script:

bash
nano /home/steam/rust/start.sh

Paste:

bash

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/steam/rust
./RustDedicated -batchmode \
 -server.port 28015 \
 -server.maxplayers 50 \
 -server.worldsize 3500 \
 -server.tickrate 30 \
 -server.identity "MyServer" \
 -server.hostname "My Community Server" \
 -rcon.port 28016 -rcon.password "YourStrongPass"

Save and make it executable:

bash
chmod +x /home/steam/rust/start.sh

E. Open Firewall Ports

bash

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

F. Launch Your Server

bash

cd /home/steam/rust
./start.sh

Check the server console to ensure successful startup.

4. Optimize Your Server for Stability

A. Increase Tickrate & Lower Lag

Add to your launch script:

diff

-server.tickrate 30
-server.saveinterval 300
-server.fpslimit 120

These settings improve performance and save efficiency.

B. Use NVMe and High Clock-Speed CPU

NVMe SSDs and high single-core CPU ensure fast world loads and smoother gameplay.

C. Automate Restarts & Backups

Add this cron job to restart daily and prevent memory bloat:

bash

0 4 * * * /home/steam/rust/start.sh

D. Control Mods & Entity Limits

Limit large mods or entity-heavy structures to reduce CPU burden

5. Connecting & Admin Tools

• Admin Access: Use ownerid YOUR_STEAMID "YourName" and writecfg in server console.
• Client Connect: In-game console use client.connect VPS_IP:28015.

6. Postgre-Startup Check

• Use top or htop to monitor CPU usage—Rust often consumes 50–65% of a core
• Verify port accessibility:
  bash
  s -tulpn | grep 28015
  
• Test ping from a player machine to ensure <50 ms latency.

7. Performance Fine-Tuning (Advanced)

• Enable uMod/Oxide for plugin support.
• Install community plugins carefully—choose lightweight versions to reduce load.
• Track entity count to maintain server stability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is VPS enough or do I need dedicated?
A well-equipped VPS (8–16 GB, high-clock CPU, NVMe) handles 50–100 players fine. For crowded servers, consider dedicated to avoid CPU contention.

Q: What RAM is ideal?
8 GB is the bare minimum; 12–16 GB ensures better mod and map performance.

Q: Must I use Linux?
Linux is lightweight and efficient. Windows works, but consumes more resources umod.org.

Q: Optimal tickrate?
30–60 is the sweet spot—balanced performance without overloading hardware .

Final Thoughts

Controlling and managing your own Rust Server brings enhanced performance reliability when self hosting on a properly set up VPS. Focus on recommending fast CPUs with extensive NVMe storage capped at 12+ GB for better responsiveness.

Need help tailoring your server or picking a hosting plan? MainVPS is here to assist with performance-optimized VPS setups and Cheap VPS hosting plans.