Swarm Hosts / Guides

Rust

Staging — awaiting client validation

Rust is available for server evaluation. Player connection and server-browser discovery have not been validated. Use a test world until you have checked the client connection yourself.

Rust runs a Linux dedicated server with separate UDP game and query ports. The vanilla runtime stores server files and worlds in persistent storage. Read Staging games for the evaluation limits.

Requirements

Start with 4 CPU cores and 12 GiB memory, plus fast storage for the game, world, logs, and backups. Large maps and player counts need more memory. Facepunch's server guide recommends 12 GB free RAM and an SSD or NVMe drive.

Launch and settings

  1. Open the launch menu and choose Rust from Staging.
  2. Select a host with enough available CPU, memory, and disk.
  3. Set the server name, player limit, world size, and seed.
  4. Keep Save identity unchanged after first launch; it selects the world directory.
  5. Leave the private management credential blank on a new deployment to generate a unique value.
  6. Launch and watch the logs. First boot downloads the game and generates the world; allow several minutes.

The startup log should reach Server startup complete. A running container alone does not confirm players can join. Rust+ companion access is unavailable in this staging setup.

Connect

For later client evaluation, use the player address and game port shown on the Swarm Server page. In Rust, press F1 and enter connect <player-address>:<game-port>. The query port is separate from the player port. When a relay is active, use its displayed public endpoint. Server-browser listing and Rust+ are separate from this direct join check.

Persistent data and backups

The persistent directory is /steamcmd/rust. Worlds and configuration are in /steamcmd/rust/server/<save-identity>; the backup scope is /steamcmd/rust/server. Keep a backup before changing identity, map size, seed, or game version. Staging does not certify a backup/restore drill for your world.

Server Actions

Game-specific Server Actions are unavailable during staging. Use the platform's start, stop, restart, logs, settings, and file tools according to your permissions. Raw console and remote-management input are unavailable.

Mods & Content

This is a vanilla runtime. Oxide/uMod and Carbon are executable plugin frameworks; Swarm Hosts does not install, verify, update, or roll back them or their plugins. See Facepunch's modded-server listing guidance before evaluating a modified server.