Rust server hosting guide: RAM, wipe schedules, Oxide and Carbon plugins

Running your own Rust server means deciding three things before the first player spawns: how much memory it gets, when it wipes and whether it runs plugins. The short answer to the first question: a Rust server needs at least 8 GB of RAM, and we recommend 12 GB; large maps, many players and many plugins need more. This guide explains why, how wipe cycles work, how to choose between Oxide and Carbon and which plan fits your community, with the values our order form uses for Rust server hosting in Lugano.

How much RAM does a Rust server need?#

Rust is one of the most memory-hungry survival games. When the server starts, it generates or loads the whole procedural map with its monuments, roads and caves. From then on, everything players build and place adds entities that the server keeps in memory: walls, doors, boxes, turrets, furnaces, dropped items. That is why memory use grows during a wipe: it is lowest right after a fresh map and highest just before the next wipe. Size your server for the end of the wipe, not for day one.

The minimum of 8 GB is the floor our order form will not let you go below; 12 GB is what we recommend for a comfortable start. Rust's world size can be set from about 1000 to 6000, and many community servers use something between 3000 and 4500: a small map keeps a group of friends together and saves memory, a large one gives a busy public server room to grow.

Player slots or resources?#

Many hosts sell Rust servers by slots. Our plans are sized by memory, CPU and disk instead, and you set the player limit yourself in your server's settings in the panel. That way you can run a large map for a small clan or a busy server on a compact map, and you only pay for the resources your world really uses. If memory runs short as your community grows, move to a bigger plan within minutes.

The monthly forced wipe and your wipe schedule#

Rust lives in wipe cycles. Facepunch releases its big monthly update on the first Thursday of the month, and after it every server starts on a new map: the forced wipe. Most communities plan their month around that day, and many wipe the map more often in between:

• Weekly map wipes keep the action high and suit busy PvP servers where groups progress fast.
• Every two weeks is a common middle ground between fresh starts and time to build.
• Only the monthly forced wipe suits casual groups and PvE servers where players want time to enjoy their bases.

A map wipe removes the world and everything built on it. A blueprint wipe also resets what players have learned, so they start their progression from scratch. Whether and how often you wipe blueprints is a decision for your community; many servers announce it in their server description so players know what to expect.

On ThunderHosting you set this up once with a schedule: a wipe step deletes the map, or the map and blueprints, and can pick a new random seed. Combine it with warnings to your players and a backup first, and run it monthly on the first Thursday to follow the forced wipe, or on chosen weekdays for your own cycle, in your time zone. Map size and seed only take effect on a fresh map, so change them together with a wipe. Backups, schedules and wipes shows every step.

Oxide or Carbon: plugins for your Rust server#

A vanilla server plays Rust exactly as Facepunch ships it. Plugins let you shape it for your community: admin and moderation tools, kits, teleports and homes, higher gather rates, clans, zones with PvE rules or an in-game shop. Most free Rust plugins are published on uMod and run on a plugin framework:

• Oxide (uMod) is the long-established framework that most plugins are written for.
• Carbon is a newer alternative that runs most Oxide plugins.

If you are not sure, start with Oxide. In our panel the Plugins tab installs uMod plugins for either one in one click, and they load without restarting the server. Their configuration files are in the file manager and over SFTP, and plugins and their settings stay through every wipe (mods, plugins and SFTP).

One thing to keep in mind: Facepunch expects servers that change core gameplay, for example with higher gather rates, kits or teleports, to be listed as modded, so players find them under Modded in the server browser rather than among the community servers. A few admin and quality-of-life plugins do not change that.

Setting up and running your server#

1. Identity. Give your server a name, a description and a header image in your server's settings, and set the player limit. The server picks them up on its next start.
2. Admin rights. In the live console, run ownerid with your Steam ID, give trusted players moderator rights with moderatorid and save with server.writecfg.
3. Daily restart. Many Rust admins restart once a day. A ready-made schedule restarts the server with warnings to players.
4. Connecting. Players press F1 in Rust and type client.connect followed by your server's address and port, for example client.connect 203.0.113.10:28015. The address is on your server's overview in the panel (connect to your game server).
5. Public or private. List your server in the Rust server browser, or keep it hidden for your group.

Choosing a plan#

Rust needs at least 8 GB, so our two larger fixed plans fit:

• A group of friends on a smaller map with few plugins: Pro 8 GB, the minimum for Rust.
• A public community, a standard-size map or a plugin-heavy modded server: Ultra 16 GB, which covers the recommended 12 GB with headroom for the end of the wipe.

With Build your own you can also pick exact values: RAM at CHF 2.50 per GB, CPU at CHF 4 per core and disk at CHF 0.20 per GB per month, with the price shown right away; for standard sizes the fixed plans are the better deal. Prices are also available in EUR, and ThunderHosting is not subject to VAT, so the price shown is the price you pay. You can add resources at any time and pay only the difference for the rest of the period; a smaller plan starts at your next renewal. All plans for Rust are on the Rust server hosting page.

Included with every Rust server#

• Automatic daily backups stored off the server host, manual backup slots and restore of the whole server or single files.
• Schedules for restarts, timed commands, backups and Rust wipes, in your time zone.
• uMod plugins for Oxide or Carbon in one click, a file manager, config editor and SFTP access.
• A live console in the browser for admin commands.
• Automatic restart after a crash, with the cause explained in plain words.
• Network-wide layer 3 DDoS protection and a firewall per server that you control.
• Servers in Lugano, in the middle of Europe, for low ping from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and Austria.
• Support from Ticino in English, German, French and Italian, from people who play themselves.

New to game servers? Read What is game server hosting?, compare all titles on our game hosting page, or see how memory works for another popular game in our Minecraft RAM guide.

Frequently asked questions#

How much RAM does a Rust server need?#

At least 8 GB; we recommend 12 GB. Larger maps, more players and more plugins need more, and memory use grows until the next wipe.

When is the Rust forced wipe?#

Facepunch's monthly update comes out on the first Thursday of the month, and after it every server starts on a new map. Set your wipe schedule to that day so your players get the fresh map together with the update.

Does a wipe delete my plugins?#

No. A wipe removes the map, and blueprints if you choose; plugins and their settings stay.

Should I choose Oxide or Carbon?#

Both load uMod plugins, and our Plugins tab installs them for either one. Oxide is the established framework; Carbon is a newer alternative that runs most Oxide plugins. If you are not sure, start with Oxide.

Can I upload my existing Rust world?#

Yes. Upload it in the Files tab or with any SFTP client, then restart the server.

Where do the servers run?#

In our data centre in Lugano, Switzerland, close to players across Central Europe.