Connect to your Rust serverVia the F1 console with client.connect

Published on August 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Find IP and port and connect via the F1 console

Every server at MainHoster.de has a fixed address made of IP and port. After ordering, you will find both in the web interface on the server overview - in the form IP:port, for example 12.34.56.78:28015. The default Rust game port is 28015, but it only serves as orientation: what counts is always the port the panel shows you. So always enter IP and port together, never the IP alone.

The most direct way onto the server is then the console:

1. Start Rust and press F1 in the main menu or in the game to open the console.
2. Enter the connect command:

client.connect 12.34.56.78:28015

Replace IP and port with the values from your panel. Rust connects and loads the map. This way works regardless of whether your server is publicly listed - which is exactly why it is also the most reliable one to pass on to your fellow players.

Share the address with your fellow players

What you share is always the pair of IP and port. The IP alone is not enough: many game servers sit side by side on it, and only the port determines which one is meant. A join attempt without the port therefore does not reach you but goes nowhere - and to the player, that looks exactly as if your server were offline.

What works well is sending the finished line for copying instead of dictating IP and port separately:

client.connect 12.34.56.78:28015

If you run the server long-term, also pin this line in your Discord - then even those who missed the message will find it. You link the Discord itself via server.url in the server.cfg, so it shows up in the server info window.

If your server has a password, it belongs with the address: the client asks for it when connecting. Which ways there are to restrict access, and why a forgotten password from the testing phase makes your server invisible, is shown in Whitelist & server password.

If the address changes - for example after moving to a larger plan - all shared lines, saved favorites and Rust+ pairings become void. Actively pass on the new combination then, instead of waiting for someone to get in touch.

How do you find your server in the server browser?

Via the server browser in the main menu. Depending on the configuration, public servers appear there in the Community or Modded tab - which one depends on whether a framework such as Oxide or Carbon is running on your server. If you search in the wrong tab, you will not find your server even though it is running perfectly.

The search works via the server name, meaning the value from server.hostname. Once you have found it, add it to your favorites with the star: after that, it is at the very top of the corresponding tab, and you neither have to search nor have the IP at hand.

A freshly set-up server sometimes needs a few minutes to show up in the list. In the long run, favorites are the more reliable way than searching anyway: with many similarly named servers, you would otherwise only find yours by its exact name. What makes an entry that actually gets found in the server list is explained in the guide Get your server listed.

What to do if the connection fails

In the vast majority of cases, it is one of three causes. Work through them in this order - from the most likely to the rarest:

• Is the server running? A stopped server does not accept connections - check the status in the panel first.
• Are IP and port exactly right? Always use the port from the panel, do not assume the default port. Typos are the most common cause of all.
• Does the version match? Right after a force wipe, wait a moment until server and client are on the same build.

The distinction between not reachable and not visible is important: if client.connect works but the server is missing from the browser, that is not a connection problem, but a question of listing.

If only part of your group cannot get in, first check whether everyone is using the same address - an IP:port combination shared once and outdated in the meantime looks to the player exactly like a server that is not running at all.

If, on the other hand, nobody gets in even though the panel shows the server as running, look at the server console: a server that aborts during startup or restarts in a loop makes that clear there. The typical causes and how to proceed are covered in Server will not start.

What happens when you join - and why it can take a while

Between sending client.connect and spawning, there are several steps. Knowing which one is stuck saves half the troubleshooting:

• Establishing the connection. If it fails immediately, the address is wrong or the server is not running. This is the only step where a quick abort is a bad sign.
• Loading the map. With a procedural map, your client generates the world locally from worldsize and seed - the larger the map, the longer that takes. With a custom map, it downloads the map file once instead.
• Loading the objects. Toward the end of a wipe cycle, there is considerably more on the map than right after it; the last loading step gets noticeably longer over the weeks.

Right after the monthly force wipe, both come together: a freshly generated map and everyone joining at once. A long loading bar is normal then and no reason to abort the client - aborting in the middle of building the map only costs you the same time again.

If, however, joining hangs permanently while others get in without problems, it is almost always the client and not the server: restart Rust via Steam instead of via a shortcut to the executable, so the anti-cheat runs properly, and if in doubt, have Steam verify the game files. After a patch Thursday, it also helps to really wait for the update - client and server have to be on the same build.

Frequently asked questions