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Maintaining Order: Administration

In the high-stakes environment of Rust, toxicity and cheating can quickly dismantle a growing community. As a server owner, you must be prepared to swiftly remove problem players using the SteamID64 (a unique 17-digit identifier) to ensure they cannot return under the same account.
Reading TimeDifficultyLast Updated
5 minutesIntermediateJanuary 2026

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Identifying the Target

Before issuing a ban, you must obtain the player’s SteamID64.
  1. BattleMetrics: Locate your server, find the player’s profile, and copy the “Steam ID” field.
  2. SteamID.io: If you have their profile URL, paste it into this tool to retrieve the 64-bit ID (e.g., 76561198012345678).

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The Banning Process

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1. In-Game Console (F1)

The most direct way to ban is via the console.
  • Command: banid <SteamID> "<Reason>"
  • Example: banid 765611980123456... "Cheating / Aimbot"
  • Critical Step: You MUST run the command writecfg afterward to save the ban to the persistent bans.cfg file. If you fail to do this, the ban will vanish upon the next server restart.

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2. Manual Configuration

You can manage the ban list directly via the File Manager:
  • Path: /server/{identity}/cfg/bans.cfg
  • Format: banid <steamid> "<name>" "<reason>"

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IP Banning vs. IDs

Rust’s native banid blocks the Steam account. While there is an ipban command, it is less reliable due to dynamic IPs. For persistent cheaters using alternate accounts (“Alts”), we recommend installing plugins like SmartGuard or VPNBlock to detect and reject suspicious connections automatically.

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Last Updated: January 2026 | Rust: Moderation tools verified.