Rust server name, description and headerHow your server presents itself in the server list

Published on August 9, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

The four convars

Everything goes into the server.cfg:

server.hostname "[EU] My Server | 2x | Wipe Thu+Sun"
server.description "Multi-line description"
server.headerimage "https://example.com/header.jpg"
server.url "https://example.com"

As with resource packs in Minecraft: the header image is not stored on the game server, but has to be reachable via a direct HTTP link - for example on web hosting.

What belongs in the server name

The name is the only piece of information that reliably gets across in the list view. Players filter by it within seconds. This order has proven itself:

1. Region - [EU], [DE]. Anyone who wants to avoid long distances filters by this first.
2. Name - short and distinguishable.
3. Rates - vanilla, 2x, 5x. The second most important filter criterion, see Gather rates.
4. Wipe cycle - "Wipe Thu+Sun" or "Monthly".
5. Special features - PvE, noob-friendly, Solo/Duo/Trio.

Keep it short: long names get cut off in the list, and everything after the cut is lost. Skip strings of special characters that only take up space.

The description

This is where you have room for details - but only the first lines are reliably read. Put the most important things first:

• Wipe cycle, precisely: when the map wipe happens, when the BP wipe happens. See Wipe blueprints.
• Rates and modding - which multipliers, which plugins.
• Team size limit, if there is one.
• Rules as keywords, not as a wall of text.
• Discord link for everything else.

Line breaks work by writing the description across multiple lines. Make sure quotation marks are closed properly - an open string makes the rest of the server.cfg ineffective.

When changes do not come through

• Restart needed - many of these values only take effect when the server starts.
• Server list cache - changes sometimes need a few minutes until they are visible everywhere.
• Header image not reachable - the URL has to point directly to the image file, not to a preview page.
• Server does not show up at all - that is a different problem, see Get listed in the server list.

A common special case: a server.password left over from the testing phase hides the server completely for many players - see Whitelist & server password.

Prepare the header image

The header image is the only element of your entry that is not text - which is why it has such a strong effect in the detail window. The common format is 512 x 256 pixels; an image with a different aspect ratio is shown squashed or cropped.

• Direct link to the image file. The URL has to point to the file itself and be reachable without logging in.
• No share page from a cloud storage service. Such links deliver a preview page, not an image - the area stays empty in the client.
• An address that stays reachable. If the storage location disappears, the image disappears - without any notice and without you noticing, because you rarely click on your own server from the list.
• Keep the file small. The image is loaded every time someone opens your entry.
• A few large words instead of small print. At 512 pixels wide, a set of rules in the image is unreadable - server name, rates and wipe rhythm are enough.

Web hosting is the most straightforward place for this: upload the file, copy the address, enter it in server.headerimage. The game server itself is not an option as a storage location - it is reachable via the fixed server address made of IP and port, not as a web server that delivers files.

Name, description and tags have to say the same thing

The entry in the list is a promise. Players filter by rates, wipe rhythm and group size - and leave again as soon as the server turns out to be something else. Usually without a word and for good, because hardly anyone gives a second chance in Rust.

Three places therefore have to carry the same message: the server.hostname, the server.description and the server.tags that the in-game browser filters by (see Get listed in the server list). A server that calls itself "vanilla" but runs double rates via gather plugins is considered false labeling - even if it is the better server.

Keeping things up to date is just as important. The wipe cycle in the name is the value that goes out of date fastest: if you switch from weekly to every two weeks and leave the old name in place, you annoy exactly the players who relied on it. Whether you also reset blueprints belongs in the description as well - wording for that is in Wipe blueprints, the dates in Force wipe.

For the description itself: short lines, the most important things at the top, no wall of text. If you want to explain everything, link to Discord or a page of your own via server.url. There is room for rules and contact people there - not in the server browser.

Frequently asked questions