Changing WORLDSIZE or SEED after launch requires a new map: bases, chests and sleepers do not carry over. You start over with eight clean settings to create a dedicated Rust server, host it without pitfalls and know when a value starts to cost server FPS.
Create a dedicated Rust server: set MODS then NAME
MODS comes first, because it chooses the branch displayed by Rust. Keep Vanilla for a server in the official spirit: no plugin, no kit, no modified stack. Choose uMod or Carbon only if you really load plugins in the oxide/plugins folder or the Carbon equivalent. The trap is easy to spot. A server marked modded with 0 plugin leaves the Community tab and ends up among x2, x5 and kit servers. You lose visibility without gaining a feature.
A manual install requires SteamCMD, application 258550, then open ports, often 28015 for the game and 28017 for the query. At Starmine, the panel avoids this layer for this specific setting. It writes the launch variables, keeps the server identity and presents the eight fields in the order you need them.
NAME is the visible name in the Rust list. Keep it short. The player should read the region and wipe rhythm without opening the listing: FR, Vanilla, Solo/Duo, Thursday Wipe. A readable value stays between 25 and 60 characters. Beyond 70 characters, the Rust browser often cuts off the end on low resolutions. The useful information disappears first, especially on wipe day. The actual key on the server side is server.hostname. Avoid repeated prefixes like !!! or [NEW][WIPE][FR][NOOB]. Three brackets before the name make it look like a server thrown together for the weekend, even more so when it stays at 0/100 players for 48 hours.
Fill in DESCRIPTION then PLAYERS without overpromising
DESCRIPTION carries what NAME cannot contain. Put 4 to 8 short lines: wipe rhythm, group size, gather multiplier, BP wipe presence, Discord, raid rules. A useful description stays between 250 and 700 characters. Under 100 characters, you force players to guess whether blueprints reset on wipe. Above 1200 characters, you display a wall of rules that almost nobody reads before connecting.
The variable behind the field is server.description. Keep facts that players can verify: Map wipe Thursday 20:00, monthly BP wipe, max team 3, gather x1, normal upkeep. Do not write active admins 24/7 if two people only check after work. That promise breaks at the first cheater report at 2 a.m., and chat remembers it.
PLAYERS sets the cap, not the fill level. The field writes server.maxplayers. For a new dedicated Rust server, set 50 if you expect fewer than 30 players, 100 if your community already fills a Discord, 150 only if the machine can handle entities, AI and saves. The bad use starts when the cap becomes an ad. An empty 200 slot server puts you alongside the big machines, but 3/200 looks like an abandoned server. On Rust, the load does not come only from connected players. It comes from bases, chests, furnaces, turrets, horses, boats and active monuments. When server FPS stays under 25 for more than 5 minutes, lower the cap or reduce the map at the next wipe.
Choose WORLDSIZE between 1000 and 6000 without breaking the wipe
WORLDSIZE sets the diameter of the procedural map. Rust accepts common sizes from 1000 to 6000. For a small community, 3000 works well. The map still has enough monuments, limits empty travel and does not scatter 20 players over a surface that is too large. 4500 fits an 80 to 150 player server. 6000 is for larger populations. Not an friends-only launch.
Changing WORLDSIZE on a server that is already running requires a new map. You lose bases, chests, items on the ground, sleepers and the state of monuments if you delete the world save. Blueprints do not disappear if you do not touch the blueprint database.
The field controls server.worldsize. A 1000 map becomes too cramped as soon as you want several major monuments, because roads, rivers and build areas overlap. A 6000 map becomes bad under 100 players. Encounters drop, raids take 20 minutes on horseback, and new players spend more time running than meeting anyone.
| Size | Population that fits | Visible consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 2 to 10 players | Test map, few monuments, short wipe |
| 3000 | 15 to 60 players | Good farming and PvP pace, limited travel |
| 4500 | 60 to 150 players | More bases, more entities, heavier saves |
| 6000 | 150 players and more | Large distances, higher load, empty server if the population does not follow |
Set SEED to get the same map elsewhere
SEED chooses the map roll. With the same size, the same Procedural Map world type and the same generation version, the same seed gives back the same roads, monuments, rivers and terrain. This setting is used to test a map on a private server, then reproduce it on a public server without rolling the dice on wipe night.
The variable is server.seed. Pick an integer and note it in your wipe schedule, for example 38472915. A reasonable range is from 1 to 2147483647. The value becomes bad when nobody writes it down. If the panel generates a random value and nobody copies it, you will not find the same map again after a reinstall, even if WORLDSIZE stays at 3500.
A seed does not lock generation changes. Facepunch sometimes changes generation during a monthly update. A 3500 map with seed 123456 can therefore change after a patch that affects monuments, caves or the road network. Check the map before a wipe announced at 20h. Ten minutes of verification avoid a launch with Launch Site missing, Outpost stuck in the snow, or three major monuments in the same area. Changing SEED after opening causes the same break as WORLDSIZE, new map, new locations, old bases incompatible with the expected world.
Secure RCONPASS before opening administration
RCONPASS protects remote access to the console. It is not a player password. It is the password that authorizes kick, ban, status, server.save or say from an RCON tool. Give it only to the people who really administer the server. A moderator tasked with reading chat does not need it.
The server-side key is rcon.password. Use at least 20 characters, with letters, numbers and symbols. The bad threshold starts below 12 characters, especially if the word exists in a dictionary or repeats the server name. Do not reuse the panel, Discord or Steam password. An RCON leak does not just steal a session. It allows players to be banned, the time to be changed, the server to be stopped or a backup to be launched at the wrong moment.
The usual RCON port is 28016, with WebRCON enabled on many modern installations. If the connection fails, check the IP address first, then the port, then the password. Errors often look like Connection refused when the port is closed, or Authentication failed when the password does not match. Do not open 28016 to the whole Internet if your tool accepts an IP list. A single fixed address for the main admin already reduces useless outside attempts. After an admin leaves, change RCONPASS within the minute and restart cleanly.
Enable AUTOUPDATE without restarting at the worst moment
AUTOUPDATE decides whether the server installs Rust updates automatically. Leave it enabled for a public server. Rust often forces the client-side update on Thursday, and a server left on the old protocol empties within minutes. On the player side, the symptom looks like a connection refusal after a patch, with a message about protocol or server version too old.
Manual updating is done through SteamCMD and the app_update 258550 validate command. The panel runs the same operation without making you open SteamCMD at 19h55. The danger is not the download. It is the restart without warning. If AUTOUPDATE cuts the server during a raid, you create a chat conflict before you have even read the patch notes.
Frame the routine with three numbers, announce 10 minutes before shutdown, save right before restart, maintenance window of 5 to 15 minutes. Keep a save interval around 300 seconds. Beyond 600 seconds, a crash or a bad shutdown can erase too many recent actions, doors placed, loot sorted, furnace loaded, vehicle moved. For a modded server, sometimes wait for the uMod or Carbon update after the Rust patch. A broken stack, permissions or economy plugin deserves better than a half-alive launch. Twenty minutes of downtime cost less than duplicated chests or broken paid commands.
Guides
Why is my Rust server not showing in the list?
Check the game port 28015, the query port 28017 and the server name. A uMod or Carbon server often appears in the Modded tab, not in Community. After a fresh start, the Rust list can take several minutes before it shows it.
Can I change the map size without wiping?
No, not properly. WORLDSIZE changes the world geometry. Bases and saved objects no longer match the map. Plan this change at the map wipe, not in the middle of the week.
Which WORLDSIZE should I choose for 10 players?
Use 1000 for a short test, or 2000 if you want a few more monuments and roads. 3000 is still usable, but encounters become rarer. 4500 and 6000 spread out a small community too much.
Does the seed guarantee the same map after each update?
It only guarantees the same map with the same size, the same world type, and the same Rust generation. A monthly update can change monuments, roads, or terrain. Test the seed before an announced wipe.