FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What Rust Server Admin does, how it fits your host, what happens to the credentials you give it, and what the Pro subscription actually covers.
Getting started
- What is a Rust plugin manager?
- Rust Server Admin is a plugin manager for Rust game servers running Oxide (uMod) or Carbon. It connects over SFTP/FTPS, scans your oxide/plugins or carbon/plugins folder, checks uMod, Codefling, and Lone.Design for newer versions, and applies one-click updates — then reloads plugins over RCON without leaving the app.
- Does it work with my host (Pterodactyl, TCAdmin, game panels)?
- Any host that exposes SFTP/FTPS and RCON works — Pterodactyl, TCAdmin, managed game hosts, or self-hosted setups on Docker, LGSM, or bare metal. It supports both the oxide/plugins and carbon/plugins paths, so it fits Oxide and Carbon servers on any provider.
- Is this for the Rust game or the Rust programming language?
- This is for the Rust survival game by Facepunch and its Oxide/uMod and Carbon modding frameworks — not the Rust programming language. It manages game-server plugins, SFTP file transfer, and RCON.
- What if I don't install the plugin?
- Everything still works. Without the recorder plugin the app falls back to polling your server over RCON for status, players and permission groups — just less live, and with more RCON traffic. The parts that run on the server itself need the plugin: join rules, chat censoring, admin-mention Discord alerts, and player history recorded while the app is closed.
Plugins & updates
- How do I update Oxide or Carbon plugins after a force wipe?
- Connect over SFTP/FTPS and scan your plugins folder. Rust Server Admin compares each installed plugin against the latest version on uMod, Codefling, and Lone.Design, pushes the updates to the server, and reloads them with oxide.reload or carbon.reload over RCON — no WinSCP tab juggling on wipe day.
- Which of my Rust plugins are outdated?
- The scan builds a plugin inventory showing each installed version next to the marketplace latest across uMod, Codefling, and Lone.Design, so you can see exactly which Oxide or Carbon plugins are outdated and need updating before players notice.
- Do I still need WinSCP or FileZilla?
- No. Rust Server Admin replaces the WinSCP/FileZilla workflow — it scans, downloads from the marketplaces, and uploads new .cs plugins over SFTP/FTPS in one place, so you are not dragging files between an FTP client and a browser.
RCON & moderation
- Is there an RCON client built in?
- Yes. A live WebRCON console runs in both the desktop app and the browser, so you can send admin commands, reload plugins, and watch console output — a full Rust RCON client alongside the plugin manager.
- Can I see player playtime and F7 reports?
- Yes. The Players page keeps a history for everyone who has played on your server — total playtime, how many times they have connected, when they were last seen, their team, and the F7 reports they have sent and received. Online and offline players are listed separately, and an optional recorder plugin keeps the history accurate even while the app is closed.
- Can I kick or ban players from the web?
- Yes. Kick, ban and unban run over RCON from either the desktop app or the browser, from the player list or the live server dashboard. Bans can be given a duration, and Rust Server Admin lifts a timed ban automatically when it expires so you do not have to remember to unban anyone.
- Can I manage Oxide and Carbon permissions?
- Yes. The Permissions page lists your Oxide or Carbon permission groups, and lets you create and delete groups and add or remove players from them over RCON — without typing oxide.grant, oxide.usergroup or their Carbon equivalents by hand.
Security & your data
- Does the plugin open any ports on my server?
- No. The recorder plugin never listens on a port. It only makes outbound HTTPS requests — to rustserveradmin.com to push live state, and, if you configure them, to the Steam Web API, proxycheck.io and your own Discord webhook. Nothing needs opening in your firewall, and the push is signed with a token unique to that server that you can revoke from Settings.
- Where are my server passwords stored?
- It depends on where you use the app. In the desktop app, signed out, they stay on your own computer in the app's local config file — there is no path that uploads them. If you sign in (on the web, or in the desktop app to sync) and save a server, your SFTP and RCON passwords are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they are written to the database, using a key that is not kept alongside them. The rest of the connection — host, port, username, plugin path — is stored as ordinary text so the app can show you what it is connecting to.
- Can you read my RCON password?
- For cloud-synced servers, technically yes — and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. The service has to decrypt your credentials to open an SFTP or RCON connection on your behalf, so this is encryption at rest, not zero-knowledge encryption. What we do not do is log them, show them to anyone but you, or hand them to a third party. If you want a setup where nobody but you can ever read the password, use the desktop app, where the credentials never leave your machine.
- Does the desktop app send my credentials anywhere?
- Not unless you sign in. The desktop app dials your game server directly from your own machine over SFTP/FTPS and RCON. Cloud sync of credentials only happens when you sign in — on the web, or in the desktop app — and save a server; a signed-in desktop syncs its servers to your account so they follow you to other devices.
- Where is my data stored when I'm not signed in?
- Locally, in the desktop app's own store on your machine — your server connections, settings and plugin inventory stay there. Nothing leaves the device except your own connections to your game server and to the plugin marketplaces (uMod, Codefling, Lone.Design) you check for updates.
- Do you store data about my players?
- Yes — that is what the Players page is built on. For each player seen on your server we keep their SteamID, display name and recent aliases, playtime and session counts, F7 reports they filed or received, team membership, and their last known IP address with the country it resolves to. The IP is what makes shared-IP alt detection work. It is visible only to your account and is left out of API responses unless you explicitly ask for it. Because it is data about other people, you are responsible for how you use it.
- What happens to my data if I cancel?
- Nothing is deleted when a subscription ends. Your servers, plugin inventory, player history and reports all stay, and the app stays readable — what pauses is control of your game server. If you want your stored credentials or your whole account removed, ask on Discord and we will delete them.
Pricing & trial
- Is it free, and which platforms are supported?
- The desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux is free — download it from the website with no account or subscription. It installs, updates and removes plugins, runs RCON and SFTP from your machine, applies join rules locally, and works offline. A Pro subscription adds cloud sync of encrypted server credentials and browser-based WebRCON so you can manage your Rust server from any device.
- Do I need an account for the desktop app?
- No. The desktop app is free and works without an account: download it, add your server, and manage plugins, RCON and SFTP locally. Signing in is optional — it syncs your servers to the cloud and unlocks the Pro web app features if you subscribe.
- Is there a free trial?
- Yes, for the Pro web app — 24 hours of full access from the moment you create an account, with no payment method required. When it ends nothing is deleted: your servers, plugin inventory, player history and reports all stay, and the app stays readable. What pauses is control of your game server — RCON commands, plugin installs and live stats — until you subscribe. Subscribing charges immediately and there is nothing to cancel if you don't.
Still deciding?
The security page goes into detail on how your SFTP and RCON credentials are stored and where the limits are, and the guides walk through the actual wipe-day workflow.