What is a Rust server?
Rust has no single world. Every server is its own map, its own economy and its own set of rules — picking one is the first real decision you make in the game.
A Rust server is a persistent world hosted by Facepunch or by a community, holding the map, every base and all player progress until it wipes. Servers differ in gather rates, team limits, wipe cycle, region and moderation — and those five settings, not the server name, decide how the game feels.
The short answer
A Rust server is a machine running the Rust world: it stores the map seed, every base, every locked box and every blueprint you learn. When you close the game your loot stays there. When the server wipes, all of it resets and everybody starts naked again.
The three kinds of server
| Type | Rates | Who runs it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official | Vanilla 1x | Facepunch | Purists with a lot of free time |
| Community (vanilla-like) | 1x with quality-of-life | Volunteers or a team | Vanilla feel, active admins |
| Modded | 2x and above, plugins | Community teams | Players with a job and limited hours |
Rustmates runs modded EU servers at 2x with vanilla combat — what that multiplier actually changes is spelled out in what is a 2x Rust server.
The five settings that decide everything
- Rates: how fast you gather, craft and smelt. This sets the pace of a wipe more than anything else.
- Team limit: how many players may build and raid together. A solo on a no-limit server is fighting groups of eight.
- Wipe cycle: weekly, biweekly or monthly. It decides whether a big base is realistic for you.
- Region: where the hardware sits. Ping decides gunfights — see the EU ping guide.
- Moderation: published rules, active admins and a real appeal process, as with our anti-cheat and appeals.
What a wipe is
A map wipe clears the world and all bases. A blueprint wipe also removes everything you learned. Facepunch force-wipes every server on the first Thursday of the month; community servers may add wipes in between. Our exact dates are on the wipe schedule, and the mechanics are in how wipe schedules work.
Frequently asked
What is a Rust server in simple terms?
It is a hosted world that keeps the map, your base and your progress between sessions. Everyone on that server shares the same map and the same wipe cycle, and nothing you build there exists on any other server.
What is the difference between official and community Rust servers?
Official servers are run by Facepunch at vanilla rates with minimal moderation. Community servers are run by players or teams, can change rates and team limits, and usually have active admins, public rules and an appeals process.
Do I lose everything when a Rust server wipes?
Yes on the map: bases, loot and the map itself reset. Blueprints survive a map-only wipe and are cleared on a blueprint wipe, which most servers run on the monthly force wipe.