A Rust server uses four ports: the game port players connect to and a query port for the server list, both UDP, plus an RCON port for admin tools and a Rust+ app port, both TCP. On PlayNHost all four are assigned and open for you. Players only need the address on the Play with friends card.
Which ports does a Rust server use?
| Port | Protocol | Facepunch default | On your PlayNHost server | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port: players connect here | UDP | 28015 | The Primary port | Address on the Play with friends card, and Ports & Network |
| Query port: the server list asks it about your server | UDP | 1 above the game port or the RCON port, whichever is higher | A port of its own | Query Port in Game Settings |
| RCON port: outside admin tools connect here | TCP | The game port number (Facepunch's example uses 28016) | A port of its own | RCON Port in Game Settings |
| Rust+ app port: the companion app talks to your server here | TCP | 67 above the game port or the RCON port, whichever is higher (28082) | A port of its own | App Port in Game Settings |
Facepunch's server guide says the same: a Rust server has 4 ports, the game and query ports are UDP, RCON and Rust+ are TCP, and only the game port is needed to connect and play. The query port is what puts your server in the game's server list, and Facepunch adds that the game port and the query port can never be the same number.
Query Port, RCON Port and App Port are marked Read only in Game Settings. The panel sets them when your server is built and passes all four numbers to Rust every time it starts, so Rust always listens on the ports the panel shows.
Why is my Rust port usually not 28015?
Each PlayNHost server gets its own ports from the machine it runs on, so many servers can share one IP address without getting in each other's way. 28015, 28016 and 28082 are the numbers Facepunch uses for a server you run yourself. Your server's numbers are usually different, so always give players the address and port the panel shows, never a number from a guide for home servers.
Where do I find the address and ports in the panel?
- Open your server in the panel and click Ports & Network in the left menu.
- Under Give this to your players, find the address written as IP and port, for example
203.0.113.10:25600. Click the copy icon next to it. This is the game port, and it is the only port players need. - Look under All ports. You see four rows. The one with the Primary badge, described as The port players connect to, is the game port.
- To tell the other three apart, click Settings in the tabs above the page, then Game Settings, and compare their numbers with Query Port, RCON Port and App Port.
- To label a row, open the ... menu at the end of it, choose Rename, type a Description such as
RCON, and click Save Changes. The row now shows your description instead of No description.
The Overview page has the same address: on the Play with friends card next to Address, and on the Server Address row of the server card, whose Join button copies it.
How do players connect to a Rust server on PlayNHost?
Players press F1 in the game, type client.connect and a space, paste the address with its port, and press Enter. A new server also appears in the game's Community list after a few minutes, through the query port. Players never type the query, RCON or Rust+ port. The full steps are in How to join your Rust server.
Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?
No. The machine your Rust server runs on accepts connections from the internet on the ports the panel gives to servers, for both TCP and UDP, and every port under All ports is one of them. The panel says so on that page: Every port accepts TCP and UDP. Your players' home routers let outgoing connections through, so they do not open anything either.
The port forwarding in Facepunch's guide is for a server you run at home behind your own router. With a hosted server it is not your job.
What does the firewall not allow?
Only the ports listed under All ports reach your server from outside. A plugin that opens a listener of its own, such as a web page on a port it picks, cannot be reached unless it uses one of them. If your plan includes extra ports, All ports shows Add a port. The machine chooses the new port's number, as the panel says: Port numbers are assigned by the machine your server runs on - you can name a port, but not choose its number. Set the plugin to that number, then restart the server so the new port is in use. If there is no Add a port button, your plan includes no extra ports, so open a ticket and say which plugin needs one.
Can I change which port is the primary, or remove one?
Keep the game port as Primary, and leave all four ports in place. Make primary in a row's ... menu moves only the game port, and Query Port, RCON Port and App Port stay where they are. Making the query port primary, for example, would put the game and the query on one number, which Facepunch says cannot work.
The menu can also offer Remove port on the query, RCON and App rows. Do not use it: Rust would still be started on that number, and a removed port goes back to the machine, where another server can get it.
What are the RCON port and the Rust+ app port for?
RCON is Rust's remote console. Rust runs it as a WebSocket on the RCON Port, over TCP. Outside tools such as RustAdmin connect with your server's IP, the RCON Port and the RCON Password: How to connect your own RCON tool to your Rust server. The panel's own Console does not use it, but the Active players card and the Live map do, which is why they need an RCON Password.
Rust+ is Facepunch's companion app. Rust runs a small companion server on the App Port, over TCP, and Facepunch's Rust+ backend must be able to reach it from the internet. Facepunch also requires that port to be 10000 or higher. The App Port is one of your server's ports, so it is reachable. Check that its number in Game Settings is 10000 or higher; if it is lower, open a ticket, because Rust+ cannot work on it. Players pair from inside the game: How to use the Rust+ app with your Rust server.
Common Rust port problems and fixes
My Rust server is not in the server list
A new server takes a few minutes to appear in the Community list after the Console shows Server startup complete. The query port is already set up, so there is nothing to open. Players can join with client.connect and the address in the meantime. If it still does not show, check the name, tags and branch: Your Rust server does not show in the server list.
A friend cannot connect with the address
- Copy the address again from Play with friends. A wrong or missing port is the most common cause, and the query, RCON and App ports never work for joining.
- Check that the badge says Online and that the Console shows Server startup complete.
- School, work and public networks can block game ports. Ask the player to try another network.
Version, branch and full-server causes are in Players cannot join your Rust server.
My RCON tool cannot connect or is refused
- Use the RCON Port from Game Settings, not the port in the address.
- Choose the web or WebSocket RCON type if your tool asks.
- If you changed the RCON Password while the server was running, restart it: the panel gives Rust the password when it starts, so the new one is used only after a restart. With a wrong password the Console logs
RCON: IP ... attempted to connect with incorrect password.
When the panel itself is refused, it says The server refused the RCON password: The server refused the RCON password on your Rust server. While the server is starting or stopped, the Active players card says It is not answering on its RCON port. That is normal while it is starting or stopped.
Rust+ shows the server as offline
Search the Console for Rust+ companion server connectivity test failed! Disabling Rust+ features. Rust prints it when Facepunch's backend cannot reach the App Port, and it then turns Rust+ off on your server. Facepunch also allows only 10 of these checks per IP address every 5 minutes, and Rust servers on the same machine share one IP address. Wait 5 minutes and restart the server once. If the line comes back, open a ticket with the Console lines around it.
Good to know
- Every port setting is listed in Rust server settings: every option explained, and other errors are in Rust server problems and fixes.
- Adding the port settings again under Additional Arguments changes nothing: Rust keeps the first value it gets, and the panel's comes first.
- Moving from another host changes the address and ports. Send players the new address from Play with friends: How to move your existing server to PlayNHost.
- The Ports & Network page itself is explained in How to find your server's ports and IP address.
