Host a Rust Server: Wipes, Plugins and Performance

A Rust server is not managed like other servers: the map is reset regularly, plugins have to keep up with every update and the world size weighs on performance. Here is how to organize these three topics before opening the server to your community.

• On the first Thursday of the month, the Facepunch update imposes a new map on every server.
• In between, the wipe schedule is up to you: announce it and stick to it.
• Oxide/uMod or Carbon add plugins; check their compatibility after every update.
• Map size and player count determine the RAM and CPU you need.

Understand the wipe schedule

A wipe resets the world: buildings, inventories and, depending on the case, unlocked blueprints. Facepunch releases an update on the first Thursday of every month, and this “forced wipe” imposes a new map on every server. In between, the schedule is up to you: many communities wipe every week or every two weeks.

• Map wipe: new map, unlocked blueprints are kept.
• Full wipe: the map and blueprints are reset.
• Forced wipe: the first Thursday of the month, with the Facepunch update.

Announce and automate wipes

Players often choose their server based on its wipe date. Show it in the name or description, then stick to it. At ACLClouds, the Rust Auto Wipe variant can be selected when ordering, and the panel scheduler runs tasks based on a cron expression: a warning to players, a backup, then a restart. The guide to schedule restarts and resets shows how to chain these tasks.

• Wipe date and time shown in the server description.
• A message to players several minutes before shutdown.
• A test with “Run now” when no one is connected.

Plugins: Oxide/uMod or Carbon

The official Rust server does not load plugins on its own. A modding framework such as Oxide/uMod or Carbon adds this capability: kits, teleportation, clans, moderation tools. With Oxide/uMod, plugins are .cs files placed in oxide/plugins, and their configuration lives in oxide/config. After each monthly update, check that the framework and your plugins are compatible before reopening the server.

• A single modding framework: Oxide/uMod or Carbon, not both.
• A few well-chosen plugins rather than a long list that never gets updated.
• One plugin added at a time, with a console check on reload.

Map size, players and performance

The procedural map is defined by its size and seed in the startup parameters. A large map and many buildings require more memory, and every connected player adds load to the processor. Rather than aiming for the largest possible map, size it for the number of players you actually expect, then monitor RAM and CPU over the course of the wipe: load increases as bases grow.

• A map size suited to the expected number of players.
• A size or seed change at wipe time, not mid-game.
• RAM monitoring at the end of the wipe, when bases are most numerous.

Updates and backups

Rust is installed and updated with SteamCMD. Before an update, warn players, stop the server and back up the configuration and plugin data: the guide to update a server with SteamCMD details the order of operations. ACLClouds Rust plans include anti-DDoS protection, a real-time console and file access, and you can switch plans as your community grows.

• A backup of oxide/config and oxide/data before every update.
• A copy off the server, following the 3-2-1 rule.
• A test connection before reopening the server to players.