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For a server using Facepunch’s defaults, the monthly forced wipe is scheduled for the first Thursday of each month at 19:00 in the configured London timezone. A forced wipe requires both a Rust server update and a restart: the new protocol causes the server to create a new map save instead of loading the previous one.
The reliable procedure is to announce downtime, record the server’s identity and launch settings, back up identity and configuration files, stop the server cleanly, update application 258550 with SteamCMD, refresh the mod framework and plugins, verify the wipe timer with PrintWipe, restart, and test a client connection before declaring the server open.
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What the monthly forced wipe actually changes
A forced wipe is tied to a Rust game update rather than being merely an administrator deleting a map file. Facepunch’s server documentation explains that the protocol number increases at a forced wipe, forcing the server to create a new world instead of reusing the old save. Your installation, launch script, server identity, permissions, and other retained files are separate from that world save.
The default timer
Facepunch’s current wipe-timer documentation, checked 15 October 2026, uses the first Thursday of every month at 19:00 in the default London timezone. That is a default configuration, not a promise that every community server wipes at that clock time. A host can select another timezone, change the hour or day, or replace the recurring schedule with a cron or Unix-timestamp override.
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What is normally replaced
- The forced wipe creates a new map save and does not reuse the previous world save.
- The server binaries and protocol are updated as part of the same maintenance event.
- Blueprints are not covered by a universal outcome in the available official guidance; their treatment depends on the server’s configuration or stated policy.
- Identity, administrative, configuration, and plugin files can be retained when you back them up and do not deliberately remove them.
Do not describe a forced wipe to players as “everything is deleted.” The map reset is expected, while identity and administration continuity can remain. State your blueprint policy separately.
Plan the maintenance window before the timer arrives
Announce a specific UTC time and local time
Post the planned shutdown in your Discord, website, server description, and in-game messages. Include the timezone, expected start, expected return, whether blueprints will remain, and whether the first connection after the wipe may be delayed while the map generates. Because the default is expressed in London time and your configured timezone may differ, use the time shown by PrintWipe as the authoritative player-facing time.
Record the current server identity
Before stopping anything, save a plain-text record of the values that make the server recognisable and reproducible:
- Server identity name and the location of its identity directory.
- Current map seed, world size, procedural map settings, and any custom map information.
- All network ports and the address or interface bindings.
- The complete startup command or service definition, including every
+server,+app, and query setting. - Installed mod framework, plugin names, and their versions.
- Administrator IDs, moderator lists, owner IDs, and permission-group assignments.
- Any scheduled tasks, update scripts, firewall rules, and service-manager settings used to launch the process.
This record is more useful than a screenshot: it lets you prove that a post-wipe problem is a configuration difference rather than a map-generation issue.
Choose a maintenance order
For a small community, stop shortly before the announced window and perform the update interactively. For a busy server, schedule the stop early enough to allow a failed download, plugin repair, or second restart without silently extending the outage. Never leave the old process running while replacing its files.
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Back up what should survive the wipe
Files worth retaining
Back up the server identity directory and the configuration, plugin, and administrative files that your operation needs. The identity backup is specifically recommended in operational guidance for a monthly force wipe because it preserves continuity for the server rather than preserving the old world. Keep at least one copy outside the Rust installation directory so an accidental reinstall cannot remove both copies.
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- Copy server configuration files, launch scripts, service definitions, and environment files.
- Copy the mod framework and plugin configuration, plus a manifest of the versions installed on wipe day.
- Copy administrator and permission data, ban lists, whitelist data, and other moderation records that your policy permits you to retain.
- Record a checksum or archive date so you can tell the current backup from an older one.
Keep old map saves separate
You may retain the old map save for incident investigation or a rollback decision, but label it clearly as an archive. Restoring that save after the protocol update defeats the intended forced wipe and can produce a server that appears not to have wiped. Put archived worlds in a separate, read-only backup location and do not point the new startup configuration at them.
Verify the backup before shutdown
Open the archive or browse the copied directory and confirm that it contains the identity and administrative files you expected. A backup job that completed with zero bytes, skipped a locked file, or copied only the launch script is not a recovery plan.
Update the Rust installation with SteamCMD
- Stop the server cleanly. Use the server console or your service manager’s normal stop action and wait for the process to exit. A clean stop allows pending writes to finish and avoids treating a crash as a wipe procedure.
- Run SteamCMD from its installation directory. Use the official application ID and installation path. The documented update pattern is:
+force_install_dir <RustInstallPath> +login anonymous +app_update 258550 +quitReplace <RustInstallPath> with the actual Rust Dedicated Server directory. Do not omit +app_update 258550; 258550 is the Steam application ID used in Facepunch’s server setup example.
- Read the updater output. Confirm that SteamCMD reaches completion rather than stopping on a login, disk-space, permission, or network error. If the update fails, resolve that error while the server remains stopped and run the update again.
- Preserve your launch parameters. SteamCMD updates the installation; it does not reconstruct your service definition. Compare the recorded startup command with the command you will use for the restart.
- Check available disk space. Map generation and update staging can require more space than the running installation. A full volume can leave an apparently successful binary update with no room for the new save.
Refresh the mod framework and plugins
After a protocol-changing update, extensions may need versions compatible with the new server build. Refresh the mod framework first, then update plugins against that framework. Do not assume that a plugin that worked before the wipe will load unchanged.
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A safe plugin sequence
- Make a copy of the existing plugin directory and its configuration before replacing anything.
- Install the framework version intended for the updated Rust build.
- Update plugins in small groups, starting with administration and permission dependencies.
- Start once with nonessential plugins disabled if you need to isolate a load failure.
- Read the startup log for missing assemblies, incompatible protocol messages, duplicate hooks, or permission errors.
Keep a list of anything intentionally disabled. Otherwise, an apparently successful wipe can leave staff tools or gameplay systems missing without anyone noticing until players report it.
Configure and verify the wipe timer
Convars that control the recurring schedule
| Setting | Purpose | Documented detail |
|---|---|---|
wipeDayofWeek |
Selects the weekday for the recurring wipe. | Values run Sunday = 0 through Saturday = 6; Thursday is 4. |
wipeHourofDay |
Selects the hour, including a fractional hour, in the configured timezone. | 14.5 means 14:30 (2:30 PM). |
wipeTimezone |
Sets the timezone used to interpret the recurring schedule. | The default documentation describes 19:00 London time. |
wipeCronOverride |
Replaces the normal recurring calculation with a cron expression. | Use the exact expression required by your schedule and quote it in the launch configuration. |
wipeUnixTimestampOverride |
Sets an exact wipe instant. | Supply a Unix timestamp for the intended date and time. |
Examples
To express a Thursday at 14:30 in the configured timezone, Facepunch documents this pattern:
+wipeDayofWeek 4 +wipeHourofDay 14.5For a one-off exact date, use:
wipeUnixTimestampOverride <timestamp>For a cron-controlled schedule, use:
wipeCronOverride "<cron expression>"The angle-bracket values are variables: replace them with your actual timestamp or expression. Do not copy the brackets themselves into a production value.
Verify instead of calculating by hand
Run PrintWipe from the server console after the relevant settings are loaded. Check the reported next wipe against the date, time, and timezone you announced. This catches a day-number error, an inherited timezone, or an override that is still active. If the output does not match the intended schedule, correct the launch configuration and restart before opening the server.
Decide how blueprints are handled
Map replacement and blueprint persistence are separate decisions. The official material available for this procedure does not establish that blueprints always wipe or always persist on every server. Treat blueprint behavior as an explicit policy controlled by your configuration and community rules.
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Publish the policy before the restart
- Say “blueprints persist” only when you have confirmed that your current configuration preserves them.
- Say “blueprints wipe” when you have intentionally configured or scheduled that outcome and have tested it on the target build.
- If the policy is uncertain, tell players that the map will reset and that blueprint status will be confirmed after startup; do not promise either result.
Verify in-game
Connect with a test account that has a known blueprint state. Confirm the expected recipes after the server is fully initialized, then check a normal player account if permissions or plugin logic can alter blueprint access. Record the result with the wipe date so the next announcement is based on observed behavior rather than assumption.
Start the updated server and confirm the new world
- Launch with the normal executable. Facepunch’s setup example uses
RustDedicated.exe -batchmodefollowed by the server’s normal parameters. Start the service with the same arguments you recorded before maintenance. - Wait for initialization to finish. Do not invite players while the process is still generating the map, loading plugins, or writing the first save.
- Read the console from beginning to end. Look for a successful bind to each expected port, map-generation completion, plugin load status, and the absence of fatal exceptions.
- Confirm map identity. Check the generated seed, world size, and map-save timestamp against the new-wipe plan. An old seed or old save path is a reason to stop and investigate before players join.
- Confirm retained administration. Test an administrator login, a moderator permission, and any essential ban or whitelist behavior.
- Run the timer check again. Execute
PrintWipeafter the server is live so the value players see is the value the running process is using.
A successful process start alone is not proof of a successful wipe. The map, protocol, timer, plugins, and permissions all need to agree with the maintenance record.
Test a client connection and update server-browser metadata
Use a small acceptance test
- Connect from a client that has completed the corresponding Rust update.
- Confirm that the server appears in the expected region and accepts the announced password or access policy.
- Spawn or join as a normal player and verify that the new terrain and monuments load correctly.
- Test chat moderation, teleport or other essential plugin commands only if those features are part of your server’s advertised experience.
- Watch CPU, memory, disk activity, and log growth during the first map-generation and connection burst.
Set the correct wipe tag
Facepunch defines monthly, biweekly, and weekly server-browser tags. These schedule tags are mutually exclusive. Select the tag that matches the timer you actually configured and advertised; do not select multiple tags to increase visibility. If you changed from the default monthly schedule, update the tag at the same time as the convars so a player is not promised a different cadence by the browser than by the server.
Troubleshoot the failures that appear on wipe day
The next wipe time is wrong
Run PrintWipe and inspect wipeTimezone, wipeDayofWeek, and wipeHourofDay. Remember that Sunday is 0 and Thursday is 4. Check for a lingering cron or Unix-timestamp override before changing the recurring values. Announce the corrected time rather than allowing players to rely on the old message.
The old map loaded
Stop the server and inspect the save path and startup arguments. Confirm that the updated protocol was installed and that the process is not pointing to an archived world directory. Do not restore the archived map merely to make the server start; that would negate the intended forced wipe. If the identity or configuration was lost, restore only the backed-up identity and configuration files, then generate the new world again.
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Clients report a protocol mismatch
Make sure the client has installed the same Rust update as the server and that SteamCMD completed the application update. A server process left running on the old binaries can continue accepting connections until a restart, so verify the process start time and the protocol information in the console.
Plugins fail after the update
Read the first plugin error, not only the final cascade of failures. Replace the framework with a version compatible with the new protocol, then update dependent plugins. Temporarily disable nonessential extensions, restart, and add them back in small groups. Restore the pre-update plugin backup only as a controlled rollback for configuration comparison; do not blindly overwrite the new framework.
The server will not bind to its ports
Compare the recorded ports with the service definition and check whether an old process still owns them. Verify firewall rules and interface bindings before changing ports, because changing a port on wipe day can make a healthy server appear offline to players and monitoring systems.
Permissions or administration disappeared
Compare the live identity and permission files with the backup made before shutdown. Check file ownership and service-account access as well as the contents. A correct file copied into a directory the running account cannot read will behave like a missing file.
The browser shows the wrong cadence
Correct the mutually exclusive wipe tag and allow the listing to refresh. The authoritative schedule is the running server’s timer and its public announcement; the browser label must be brought into agreement rather than used as a second, conflicting schedule.
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Self-hosting or managed hosting for monthly maintenance
The wipe procedure is the same in principle, but responsibility is divided differently. Use the following axes when deciding whether to operate the machine yourself or use a managed Rust host. Current provider prices and terms are not established here, so compare written quotes and features rather than assuming a standard monthly cost.
| Decision axis | Self-hosted server | Managed server |
|---|---|---|
| File and convar control | Direct access to binaries, identity files, launch arguments, timers, and save paths. | Depends on the host’s control panel, permitted files, and support policy. |
| Backup and restore | You design the identity backup, off-machine retention, verification, and map-archive policy. | The host may offer snapshots or scheduled backups; confirm whether identity, configuration, and plugin files are included. |
| Update and restart work | You run SteamCMD, stop the service, refresh plugins, and validate the restart. | Automation may reduce hands-on work, but verify that it updates the Rust application and mod framework in the required order. |
| Mod and plugin support | Full control, with full responsibility for compatibility testing. | Check which frameworks, plugins, custom maps, and startup arguments are supported. |
| Geographic latency | You choose the machine location and network provider. | Choose a region close to the player population and ask about network capacity and routing. |
| Monitoring | You configure process checks, disk alerts, logs, and notifications. | Review what uptime, resource, and console monitoring is included and how alerts are delivered. |
| Total recurring cost | Includes hardware, electricity, bandwidth, storage, and your maintenance time. | Includes the recurring hosting fee and any charges for backups, extra storage, locations, or support. |
A managed service is useful when you want scheduled updates and backups without maintaining the operating system, but retain enough access to verify PrintWipe, inspect logs, control blueprint policy, and recover the server identity.
Quick Recap
A practical wipe-day runbook
- Publish the maintenance window, timezone, expected map reset, blueprint policy, and expected return time.
- Record identity, seed, world size, ports, startup arguments, framework, plugins, and permissions.
- Back up the identity directory and required configuration, administrative, and plugin files; archive the old map separately.
- Stop the server cleanly and confirm that the process has exited.
- Run SteamCMD with
+force_install_dir <RustInstallPath> +login anonymous +app_update 258550 +quit. - Refresh the mod framework and plugins, checking compatibility and dependencies.
- Load the intended wipe convars or override and run
PrintWipe. - Start
RustDedicated.exe -batchmodewith the normal server parameters. - Wait for map generation and initialization, then verify the new map, protocol, timer, plugins, and permissions.
- Connect with a client, verify blueprint behavior, and set exactly one matching browser cadence tag.
- Keep the dated identity backup and the post-wipe verification notes for the next maintenance cycle.
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