How to set up a Rust game server on a Linux VPS from scratch (Ubuntu 24.04)

Update the system and install the dependencies SteamCMD needs:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y multiverse
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 libsdl2-2.0-0:i386 \
  curl wget tar unzip screen ufw

SteamCMD still depends on 32-bit libraries (i386) even on a 64-bit system — that’s the reason for the dpkg --add-architecture i386.

Create the dedicated rust user, with no direct password login:

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" rust
sudo mkdir -p /home/rust/server
sudo chown -R rust:rust /home/rust

From this point on, all server commands run with sudo -u rust or after sudo su - rust.

Configure the firewall, opening only what’s needed:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 28015/udp comment 'Rust game'
sudo ufw allow 28016/tcp comment 'Rust RCON'
sudo ufw allow 28017/udp comment 'Rust query'
sudo ufw --force enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Switch to the rust user and download SteamCMD:

sudo su - rust
mkdir -p ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -

The tar zxvf - extracts directly from curl’s stdout, avoiding an intermediate file.

Download RustDedicated via SteamCMD (anonymous download, no Steam login):

cd ~/steamcmd
./steamcmd.sh +force_install_dir /home/rust/server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 258550 validate \
  +quit

This command takes 10-25 minutes depending on the VPS bandwidth. The validate parameter checksums every file — always use it on the first install and on updates after a forced wipe by Facepunch (first Thursday of each month).

Confirm the binary exists and is executable:

ls -la /home/rust/server/RustDedicated
file /home/rust/server/RustDedicated

Expected output: an ELF 64-bit LSB executable, dynamically linked. If ls doesn’t find it, the download silently failed — re-run step 05 and watch the full SteamCMD output for ERROR! Failed to install app '258550'.

Create the start script at /home/rust/server/start.sh:

nano /home/rust/server/start.sh

Content:

#!/bin/bash
cd /home/rust/server

exec ./RustDedicated -batchmode -nographics \
  +server.identity "hostini" \
  +server.port 28015 \
  +server.queryport 28017 \
  +rcon.port 28016 \
  +rcon.password "REPLACE_WITH_STRONG_PASSWORD" \
  +rcon.web 1 \
  +server.maxplayers 50 \
  +server.hostname "My Rust Server" \
  +server.description "Vanilla server, biweekly wipe" \
  +server.url "https://hostini.com.br" \
  +server.headerimage "https://i.imgur.com/YOUR_BANNER.png" \
  +server.seed 1337 \
  +server.worldsize 3500 \
  +server.saveinterval 300 \
  +server.tickrate 30

Make it executable:

chmod +x /home/rust/server/start.sh

Run a manual first boot to generate the map and validate the config:

cd /home/rust/server
./start.sh

You’ll see Unity logs, then Generating procedural map. In 5-15 minutes you’ll get Server startup complete — the server is accepting connections. Press Ctrl+C to stop and move on to systemd persistence.

Exit the rust user and create the unit as root:

exit  # back to root
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/rust.service

Content:

[Unit]
Description=Rust Dedicated Server
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=rust
Group=rust
WorkingDirectory=/home/rust/server
ExecStart=/home/rust/server/start.sh
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=15
StandardOutput=append:/home/rust/server/logs/server.log
StandardError=append:/home/rust/server/logs/server.err
LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Create the logs directory and adjust permissions:

sudo -u rust mkdir -p /home/rust/server/logs
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now rust.service

Watch the startup in real time:

sudo journalctl -u rust.service -f

When you see Server startup complete, the server is ready. Use Ctrl+C to exit the journal follow — this does not stop the server.

Stop the server before installing oxide:

sudo systemctl stop rust.service

Download and install oxide.rust inside the server directory:

sudo -u rust bash -c "cd /home/rust/server && \
  wget -q https://umod.org/games/rust/download/develop -O oxide.zip && \
  unzip -o oxide.zip && \
  rm oxide.zip"

Start the server again:

sudo systemctl start rust.service

Plugins live in /home/rust/server/oxide/plugins/. After copying a .cs into that directory, oxide compiles and loads it automatically — no server restart required.

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status rust.service

It should show active (running) and the RustDedicated process PID.

Confirm the server is listening on the correct ports:

sudo ss -tulpn | grep -E '28015|28016|28017'

You should see 3 lines — one per port (UDP/TCP/UDP), all bound to the RustDedicated process.

Test the connection from the Rust client: open the game, console (F1), type:

client.connect YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:28015

In 5-10 seconds you land on the asset loading screen. After a successful login, the server automatically appears on the community list within a few hours.