How to Set Your Rust Server's Name, Description, and Header Image

When a player scrolls the in-game server browser, your listing is your first impression: the name in the list, the description on the connection window, the banner image, and (optionally) a link to your website. All four are controlled by simple convars — server.hostname, server.description, server.headerimage, and server.url — and this guide shows exactly how to set them, either in your launch command or in server.cfg.

The four listing convars

1. server.hostname — your server's name

This is the name of your server as shown on the client server list. Set it as a launch parameter:

+server.hostname "Tom Server"

Keep it short and searchable — this is the text players actually type into the browser's search box to find you again.

2. server.description — the connection-window text

This sets the description shown on the server connection window — for example, the size or intent of the server:

+server.description "Awesome!"

A single line rarely does the job, though. To get multi-line descriptions, put \n inside the quoted string wherever you want a line break:

+server.description "Welcome to our server!\nMap wipes: first Thursday of the month\nDiscord: discord.gg/yourserver"

Each \n renders as a new line on the connection window, letting you structure wipe schedules, rules, and community links cleanly.

3. server.headerimage — the banner picture

This sets the picture for your server listing, loaded from a URL you host:

+server.headerimage "http://mysite.com/serverimage.jpg"

This convar is optional — you can omit it and your server will list fine without a banner. If you do use one, host the image somewhere reliably reachable over a plain URL.

4. server.url — your website link

Also optional. If you have your own website, you can set it here:

+server.url "http://mysite.com"

Two ways to apply them

Launch parameters. Add each convar to your server's launch command prefixed with +, as in the examples above. This matches the startup-script style used in the official server setup documentation.

server.cfg. Put the same convars in your server.cfg file so they persist across restarts.

The difference matters: if you change server.description from the server console, the change is immediate but temporary — when the server restarts for any reason, it re-reads the value from server.cfg. Treat the console as a way to test wording live, and server.cfg (or your launch command) as the permanent home for the final value.

Round out the listing: server.maxplayers

The player count next to your name is the other thing browsers filter on. server.maxplayers sets the maximum number of players that can connect at one time:

+server.maxplayers 10

The more players you allow, the faster your machine's CPU needs to be — set a slot count your hardware genuinely handles rather than an inflated one that lags out at half capacity.

Troubleshooting: description replaced by numbers

There is an ongoing bug where a server's description can be overwritten with a series of numbers at a random point in time. If your carefully formatted description suddenly shows as digits, restart the server so it re-reads the value from server.cfg — and make sure the correct description lives in that file so the fix sticks.

Quick checklist

• server.hostname — set; short and searchable
• server.description — set; \n used for line breaks
• server.headerimage — optional; URL loads in a browser
• server.url — optional; points to your site or Discord landing page
• server.maxplayers — matches what your hardware can hold
• Final values live in server.cfg or the launch command, not just the console

With those in place, your listing shows a proper name, a readable multi-line description, and a banner — everything a player sees before deciding to click Connect.