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Establishing Administrative Authority

Rust uses a three-tiered technical authentication system to manage server access and executive authority. Granting administrative powers is essential for moderators who need to use specialized tools such as Noclip (flight), item spawning, and invisible spectating to identify and neutralize cheaters. Correctly configuring these ranks ensures that your staff team has the appropriate tools to maintain community order while protecting the server’s core variables from unauthorized modification.

Difficulty

Beginner

Time

5 Minutes

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Technical Authentication Tiers

The Rust engine recognizes three distinct “Auth Levels” that dictate a user’s command access.
  • Level 0 (Player): Standard participant status. No access to administrative or developer commands.
  • Level 1 (Moderator): Access to tactical moderation commands including /kick, /ban, and /mute. Moderators typically cannot spawn items or use developer cheats by default.
  • Level 2 (Owner): Absolute authority. Access to all server variables, unrestricted item spawning, and administrative noclip.

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Authorization Workflow

The most secure method for assigning ranks is using the Web RCON console within your FREAKHOSTING dashboard.
1

Retrieve SteamID64

Obtain the player’s 17-digit numerical identifier (e.g., 76561198000000000). You can retrieve this by pasting their profile URL into SteamID.io.
2

Execute Auth Command

In your server console, input the appropriate command:
  • For Owners: ownerid <SteamID> "DescriptiveName"
  • For Moderators: moderatorid <SteamID> "DescriptiveName"
3

Commit Permission Registry

Critical: You must execute the command server.writecfg immediately after. If you neglect this, the rank will only exist in temporary memory and will be lost upon the next restart.
4

Initialize Status

The player must disconnect and reconnect to the server for the new administrative flags to be recognized by the game client.

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Strategic Administration Best Practices

To maintain community trust, we strongly recommend that administrators who intend to participate in standard gameplay use a separate “Player” account. If players observe an administrator building or raiding while using their staff account, it frequently triggers accusations of “Admin Abuse,” potentially damaging your server’s reputation for fairness.
Authorized staff can enter a “Spectator” state by using the console command spectate. This allows you to observe suspicious players from their perspective without manifesting an in-game character model, providing an essential tool for identifying sophisticated “closet” cheaters.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: January 2026 | Rust: Staff hierarchy verified.