Set up your server

Install on Windows

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. The easiest way is the signed installer.

Closing the deck window does not stop your server — the engine keeps running in the background. Open the deck again and everything is where you left it.

Install on Linux

Debian and Ubuntu (64-bit) are the tested path; there is also a newer Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / Alma path. On the server, as root, paste one line:

curl -sSL https://honeybadger.software/installer/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --from https://honeybadger.software/installer/HoneyBadgerBunker-0.1.0.tar.gz

Already have the source folder on the box? Run sudo bash packaging/linux/install.sh from it instead. The installer is safe to run again, and it will:

• install the 32-bit libraries SteamCMD needs, plus Python, curl, unzip and logrotate;
• create an unprivileged user honeybadger — the game server never runs as root;
• install the deck into /opt/honeybadger and run it as a systemd service named hbdeck;
• set up log rotation and a restart-on-crash limit so a broken update cannot loop forever.

The deck listens on the server's loopback address only — it is never exposed to the internet. Reach it from your own PC over an SSH tunnel:

ssh -L 27800:127.0.0.1:27800 you@your-server

Then open http://127.0.0.1:27800/ in your browser. Useful commands:

systemctl status hbdeck
journalctl -u hbdeck -f
sudo systemctl restart hbdeck
sudo bash /opt/honeybadger/uninstall.sh            # removes the deck, keeps your servers
sudo bash /opt/honeybadger/uninstall.sh --purge    # removes everything, servers included

First run

The first time the deck opens, the setup wizard walks you through a server: a name, where the files go, the map and how many players. It picks free ports and installs the game for you.

Ports to forward

These are the defaults; if you change a port in the wizard, forward the numbers the deck shows. Playing from the same PC or network needs no forwarding — press F1 in Rust and type client.connect 127.0.0.1:28015.

Where your files live

To move a Windows install to another PC, close the deck, copy the whole folder, and start it there.

Updates

Updates come from honeybadger.software. The deck checks a signed list, and every file it downloads must match a signature and a checksum or it is refused. You get a plain notice in the deck when there is a new version — nothing installs until you click.

• Windows: the deck downloads and verifies the new version, then swaps it in when you click and the engine has stopped. Or unzip the new portable zip over the old folder — state\ is not in the zip, so your servers and settings stay.
• Linux: run the installer again with the new package; your settings and servers are kept.

Updating the Rust server itself is separate: it is one button (or a schedule), and it keeps your mod framework in place afterwards.

Troubleshooting

Windows says "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen).

The signed installer is code-signed by HoneyBadger Software, so you should not see an "unknown publisher" warning. A brand-new signed program can still get a reputation prompt until enough people have downloaded it — click More info, then Run anyway. With the portable zip, right-click → Properties → tick Unblock before you unzip.

The deck window does not open.

Open state\logs\launcher.log. If it is empty or unclear, run Bunker (console debug).bat to see what it prints. The window needs the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime — Windows 11 has it built in; on Windows 10 it is a free download from Microsoft.

First start takes forever.

Normal: the game downloads ~6 GB and then the map generates. Give it several minutes the first time; later starts are quick.

Not enough memory.

A Rust server wants about 12 GB of RAM and 15 GB of free disk. If the machine has less, pick a smaller map and fewer players in the wizard.

Players cannot join, but it works for me.

The ports above are not reachable from outside. Check the router forward, the Windows or Linux firewall, and — on a cloud host — the provider's security group. Both UDP ports must be open.

Linux service will not start.

journalctl -u hbdeck -n 50 shows why. The service gives up after 3 failed starts in 5 minutes on purpose; fix the cause and run sudo systemctl restart hbdeck.

Licence and what is not ours

The deck's own code is MIT licensed. Copyright HoneyBadger Software. Things the deck downloads for you keep their own licences and terms:

• Rust Dedicated Server belongs to Facepunch Studios; the deck installs it through Valve's SteamCMD, anonymously.
• SteamCMD belongs to Valve.
• Carbon and Oxide (uMod) are separate projects with their own licences; the deck downloads them from their official releases and never bundles or modifies them.
• Python and the libraries inside the Windows zip carry their own open-source licences.

HoneyBadger Software is not affiliated with Facepunch Studios or Valve.