Setting Up a Custom Domain for Your Rust Server

Setting Up a Custom Domain for Your Rust Server

A custom domain lets your players connect to your Rust server using a memorable address like play.yourserver.com instead of a numeric IP and port. This guide covers setting up DNS records to point your domain to your Witchly.host Rust server.

Why Use a Custom Domain

• Easy to remember — Players can share and remember a domain name far more easily than an IP address
• Professional branding — A custom domain reinforces your server’s identity and credibility
• IP flexibility — If your server’s IP ever changes, you update one DNS record instead of notifying every player
• Community building — A branded address helps establish your server as a destination, not just another IP

Prerequisites

You will need:

1. A registered domain — Purchase one from a registrar like Cloudflare, Namecheap, Porkbun, or Google Domains (typically $10-15/year)
2. DNS management access — Available through your registrar’s control panel
3. Your server’s IP address and port — Found on your server’s overview page at Dashboard

Finding Your Server IP

1. Log in to Dashboard
2. Select your Rust server
3. Your IP address and port are displayed on the server overview page
4. The format is IP:Port — note both values separately

Setting Up a DNS A Record

An A record maps your domain (or subdomain) to your server’s IP address.

1. Log in to your domain registrar’s DNS management panel
2. Add a new A Record:

Field	Value
Type	A
Name/Host	Your subdomain (e.g., play, rust, or @ for root domain)
Value/Target	Your server’s IP address (numbers only, no port)
TTL	3600 (or Auto)

Examples:

• play.yourserver.com — Set Name to play
• rust.yourserver.com — Set Name to rust
• yourserver.com — Set Name to @

Important: The A record only maps to the IP address, not the port. Players will still need to include the port when connecting (e.g., play.yourserver.com:28015). This is normal for game servers.

Connecting with Your Domain

After DNS propagation, players connect using the F1 console in Rust:

1. Press F1 to open the console
2. Type: client.connect play.yourserver.com:28015 (replace with your domain and port)
3. Press Enter

Players can also search for your server in the server browser — the domain is primarily a convenience for direct connect.

DNS Propagation

DNS changes take time to spread across the internet:

• Typical time: 5 minutes to 2 hours
• Worst case: Up to 48 hours (rare)
• Verify propagation: Use dnschecker.org to check if your A record is visible globally

During propagation, some players may be able to resolve the domain while others cannot. The original IP address always works as a fallback.

Using Cloudflare for DNS

Cloudflare is a popular DNS provider with free tier support. If you use Cloudflare:

• Set the proxy status to “DNS only” (grey cloud icon) — This is critical. Cloudflare’s proxy does not support game server traffic. If the orange cloud (Proxied) is enabled, players will not be able to connect.
• Cloudflare propagates DNS changes very quickly, usually within minutes
• The free tier provides fast, reliable DNS hosting

Advanced: Multiple Subdomains

If you run multiple servers or services, you can create different subdomains for each:

rust.yourserver.com    → A record → Rust server IP
web.yourserver.com     → A record → Website IP
yourserver.com         → A record → Website IP

This keeps your infrastructure organized and gives each service its own address.

Updating Your Server Description

Once you have a custom domain, reference it in your server configuration:

1. Go to the Startup tab in your dashboard
2. Update server.hostname to include your domain: [US] MyServer | play.yourserver.com | 2x Weekly
3. Update server.url to your website or Discord
4. Save and restart your server

This helps players find your connection information directly from the server browser.

Troubleshooting

Domain does not resolve:

• Double-check the A record values in your registrar’s DNS panel
• Ensure there are no typos in the IP address
• Wait for DNS propagation — check status at dnschecker.org

Domain resolves but players cannot connect:

• Make sure players include the port number (e.g., play.yourserver.com:28015)
• If using Cloudflare, verify the proxy is set to DNS only (grey cloud)
• Confirm the server is running in your dashboard

Domain points to wrong IP:

• Update the A record with the correct IP address
• If you recently migrated or changed servers, the old A record may still be cached — wait for propagation or reduce TTL

Local DNS cache issues:

• Windows: Run ipconfig /flushdns in Command Prompt
• macOS: Run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache in Terminal
• Linux: Run sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

Best Practices

• Use a subdomain (e.g., play.yourserver.com) and keep the root domain for a website or landing page
• Keep a reasonable TTL — 3600 seconds (1 hour) is standard; lower it to 300 seconds temporarily if you expect IP changes
• Include the port in your server ads — Since Rust requires a port number, always advertise your full address: play.yourserver.com:28015
• Keep your domain registration active — Set your domain to auto-renew to avoid accidental expiration
• Monitor your DNS — Periodically verify your records are correct, especially after registrar updates

Need assistance with domain setup? Our team is available on Discord.