Connecting to your Rust server: F1 console and browsers

Connect to your Rust server via the F1 console, the modded browser, or Steam favourites. Plus what the query port does and why first boot takes 10 minutes.

Connecting to your Rust server is fastest through the F1 in-game console. You can also list publicly through the community or modded browsers, or pin your server to Steam favourites so it's one click every wipe.

Your address looks like yourname.hostd.it:PORT on Pro and Elite, or yourname.hostdservers.com:PORT on Standard. Either is free with the plan. The number after the colon is your game port, assigned per server; the dashboard shows yours under the Connect tab.

#Fastest: the F1 console

In game, press F1 to open the developer console. Type:

client.connect yourname.hostd.it:PORT

Press Enter and Rust will connect straight in. This works whether your server is publicly listed or not, so it's the method to send your community for invite-only wipes.

#The modded server browser

If you've installed Oxide or Carbon, your server lists under the Community and Modded tabs of Rust's in-game server browser. The modded tab is the busier one for public discovery on wipe day; vanilla servers list under Community. Make sure your tags in server.cfg are accurate (server.tags "weekly,vanilla,eu" or similar) so the filter chips do their job.

#Steam favourites

To favourite your server in the Steam client, open View → Servers → Favorites → Add a Server. Paste your address and the query port shown on the dashboard:

yourname.hostd.it:QUERY_PORT

Steam's favourites use the query port (game port +1) for status pings, not the game port itself. Both numbers are shown on the dashboard's Connect tab; use the query port here, the game port for client.connect. Once added, you'll see live player counts and a Connect button from the Steam overlay.

#What the query port is for

Query port = game port + 1, always. Stat trackers (BattleMetrics, Rustservers.gg), Steam's master browser, and third-party Discord status bots all read the query port for live player count and metadata. The dashboard exposes both numbers on the Connect tab; if a tool asks for "server query port" specifically, use the +1.

#First boot takes about 10 minutes

When you order a fresh Rust server, the first start runs SteamCMD validate, then procedural map generation, then savefile creation. That's roughly 10 minutes end to end. The dashboard milestones tick through "Setting up", "Verifying game files", "Loading map", "Generating savefile", then "Ready". Don't panic if it sits on "Loading map" for a while; that's the bit doing the real work.

Restarts after the first boot are much quicker, because the savefile already exists and we skip the map gen.

#Troubleshooting connection

If F1 connect throws "disconnected: connection attempt failed", check the dashboard first; the server might still be booting. If it's been up for 15 minutes and you still can't get in, the Rust server troubleshooting doc walks through the common causes (modded-vs-vanilla filter, query port mismatch, Oxide lagging behind a Rust patch).

#Where to go next

• Picking your Rust server plan if you're still deciding on Standard, Pro, or Elite.
• Connecting to non-Minecraft servers for the cross-game version of this guide.
• Rust server troubleshooting when something's off.

Written and maintained by the Hostd engineering team. Last updated 2026-05-20. Notice a mistake? Tell us.