Self-host RustDesk
updated Oct 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Oct 2026 · how we test
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An open-source remote-desktop app (a TeamViewer/AnyDesk-style tool) plus the self-hostable ID/rendezvous server (hbbs) and relay (hbbr) behind it. Running your own pair means clients register and relay through your VPS instead of RustDesk's public servers; the free OSS server has no web console, accounts or address book (those are RustDesk Server Pro).
Key facts
CategoryVPN & Mesh Networking
LicenseAGPL-3.0
StackRust, Flutter
Min RAM256 MB
Official imageyes
Measured idle RAM3 MB
Difficulty
Our recommendation
Pick RustDesk when you want TeamViewer- or AnyDesk-style remote desktop access without sending your sessions through someone else's servers: run the free hbbs (ID/rendezvous) and hbbr (relay) pair on a small VPS and point the RustDesk clients at it. Despite sitting in the VPN & mesh category, it is not a VPN — it relays remote-desktop sessions, not network traffic; for that, look at Headscale or NetBird instead.
What you need
- Any VPS with at least 256 MB of RAM
- A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
- Under an hour if you've used Docker before
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + USKamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + AsiaDigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + AsiaPaid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.
Install
Run these commands on your server:
# RustDesk Server OSS (hbbs + hbbr) — official image pinned to the latest release, host networking as the docs recommend on Linux
mkdir -p ~/rustdesk && cd ~/rustdesk
cat > compose.yml <<'EOF'
services:
hbbs:
container_name: hbbs
image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:1.1.16
command: hbbs
volumes:
- ./data:/root
network_mode: host
depends_on:
- hbbr
restart: unless-stopped
hbbr:
container_name: hbbr
image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:1.1.16
command: hbbr
volumes:
- ./data:/root
network_mode: host
restart: unless-stopped
EOF
docker compose up -d
# open TCP 21115-21117 and UDP 21116 (21118/21119 only for the web client, behind a reverse proxy)
sleep 5 && cat data/id_ed25519.pub
# in each RustDesk client: ID server = SERVER_IP, Key = the public key printed aboveWhat you take on
The open-source server is deliberately small, and upstream is open about where the paid edition starts:
non-negotiableThe free server has no web console — upstream lists the web console port (21114) as "only available in Pro version" — and the docs file accounts, access control and the address book under RustDesk Server Pro, a separate paid product.
non-negotiableClients do not trust your server automatically. Each one needs your server's address as its ID server and the public key from data/id_ed25519.pub entered in its network settings; lose or regenerate that key and every client must be reconfigured.
non-negotiableOpen TCP 21115-21117 and UDP 21116 on the server. Ports 21118 and 21119 serve the web client only, and upstream warns that hbbs and hbbr trust the X-Real-IP header on those WebSocket ports, so anyone who can reach them directly can spoof an IP — leave them closed, or put a reverse proxy in front.
non-negotiableUpstream recommends host networking (network_mode: host) on Linux so the server sees real client addresses; that means the containers bind these ports directly on the host rather than through Docker's port mapping.
non-negotiableIt is AGPL-3.0: network-copyleft terms apply if you modify the server and offer it to others as a service.
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