How to Improve Rust Server Performance

Improving Rust Server Performance

Managing a Rust server with players can be challenging, especially when ongoing performance issues arise. These problems can occur due to an overwhelming number of entities, a large map, too many plugins, or simply low memory. When this happens, it can negatively impact gameplay, frustrate players, and even drive them away.

Fortunately, there are several tips and tricks you can implement on your server to improve performance, allowing players to enjoy your community.

These range from executing simple commands to installing helpful plugins that remove unwanted entities. With this in mind, HolyHosting has created this guide to show different ways to enhance your Rust server’s performance.

Rust Server Performance

There is a lot of information and potential configurations to improve your Rust server’s performance. We’ve summarized the most important details in the table below for quick reference. For more information on any specific item, refer to the corresponding sections in this guide.

Tip: Combining most of these strategies will yield the best results for both in-game performance and overall server stability.

Solution	Description
Reduce Animals	Reducing the animal population helps save resources.
Limit Server FPS	Limiting the server FPS increases available resources.
Scheduled Restarts	Regularly restarting the server helps keep it clean.
Smaller Map Size	A smaller map allows more resources to be dedicated.
Performance Add-ons	Installing useful add-ons improves game performance.
Upgrade the Server	Increasing the server's dedicated memory provides more resources.

Improving Rust Server Performance: Tips and Tools

Managing a Rust server with players can be challenging, especially if there are ongoing performance issues. These can arise from too many entities, a large map, excessive plugins, or limited memory. Below is a guide on how to improve your server’s performance using commands, configurations, and plugins.

Reduce Animals

Reducing the number of animals and creatures can significantly improve in-game performance by saving server resources. For example, disabling chickens allows the server to allocate resources elsewhere.

• Command:

  chicken.population "0"

  This can be run in-game as an admin, through the server console, or in the server startup config. The general format is:

  [animal].population "[value]"

  You can use this for almost any creature to reduce or completely disable their spawn rate.

  
  

Limit Server FPS

Server FPS affects how smoothly the game runs. You can set this with:

fps.limit "value"

• Suggested range: 30–60 FPS.

• Lower values (10–20 FPS) may cause noticeable issues for players.

  
  

Scheduled Restarts

Restarting the server regularly helps reduce stress and improve performance.

• Daily restarts are recommended.

• Our panel handles this automatically in the Scheduled Tasks section.

• You can customize intervals (e.g., every 12 hours) or restart manually.

• Note: Restarting does not erase progress—it simply shuts down and restarts the server.

Smaller Map Size

Large maps consume more server resources.

• Consider reducing a 5k world to 2–3k for smaller player groups.

• Adjust according to your active player count.

• Alternatively, select a pre-generated world optimized for performance.

Performance Plugins

Using plugins can help monitor, clean, and optimize your server. Popular options include:

• Performance Monitor: Tracks server memory, plugin hook times, and other metrics. Reports are saved in the FTP database.

• Performance UI: Provides a GUI with FPS, latency, and hook information, making monitoring easier for admins.

• Entity Cleanup: Allows removal of unwanted structures, deployables, and other entities either automatically or manually. Whitelists can be used to exclude certain entities.

• Auto Purge: Automatically removes entities created by inactive players to free up resources.

• Remover Tool: Lets admins and players remove specific entities, structures, or objects that consume server resources.

Tip: Avoid installing too many plugins, as they may negatively impact performance.

Upgrade Server Resources

If performance issues persist, your server may need more dedicated memory.

• Minimum for Rust: 4 GB.

• More RAM allows the server to handle more players and larger maps efficiently.

• This may require upgrading your hosting plan, but it’s worth it for larger, active communities.

  
  

Conclusion

We hope this guide has been helpful! 🚀 Remember, don’t hesitate to ask questions on the HolyHosting Discord or contact our support team.

Follow us on Twitter @HolyHosting to stay up to date.

Stuffy @ HolyHosting