Rust server.cfg example: where it goes and what to put in it

Quick answer: server.cfg goes in server/<identity>/cfg/, next to RustDedicated.exe, where <identity> is your server’s identity (my_server_identity unless you changed it). Each line is a console command, exactly as you would type it in the server console, and the server runs them every time it starts.

Example server.cfg

server.hostname "My Rust Server"
server.description "Vanilla, wipes every Thursday."
server.url "https://example.com"
server.headerimage "https://example.com/banner.png"
server.maxplayers 100
server.worldsize 3500
server.seed 12345
server.saveinterval 300
decay.scale 1

Line	What it sets
`server.hostname`	The name in the server browser.
`server.description`	The text on the server’s page in the browser.
`server.url`	The website link on that page.
`server.headerimage`	The banner picture on that page.
`server.maxplayers`	How many can play at once; see max players.
`server.worldsize`	The map size in metres.
`server.seed`	Which procedural map you get at that size.
`server.saveinterval`	How often the world saves, in seconds (the default is 600).
`decay.scale`	How fast buildings decay; see turn off decay.

Put text with spaces in quotes. Every setting and its default is on Rust server variables.

Lines that need a new map

server.worldsize and server.seed decide the map. Change either and the server starts a new map the next time it starts, as if you wiped it. The old world’s save stays in the server folder, so changing them back brings it back. A custom map from a URL ignores both.

server.cfg and serverauto.cfg

The game never writes server.cfg: you make it, and the server only reads it. server.writecfg writes a different file, serverauto.cfg, next to it, with the settings the game saves by itself. The server reads serverauto.cfg first and server.cfg after it, so a line in server.cfg wins.

The launch line instead

Any line can also go on the server’s launch line with a + in front, for example +server.maxplayers 100. See launch arguments.

In Crucible Local Server

Crucible Local Server writes server.cfg for you from the Config tab each time the server starts; see server settings.