How much does it cost to host a server?

[Purple Sauce]

So I got kicked out a discord because I believed that the master admin was overcharging. I'm not going to say any names but I just want to verify the cost to host a decent rust server with a population of 200-300 people.

I've hosted in many games before and just hosted my own rust server off my PC with minimal lag problems unless I used a bigger map which strained my out dated PCs memory but I could use a mediumish sized map without any issues.

I've previously bought virtual machines as well for 50-60 dollars a month to host servers from there as well with zero issues.

So my question is, does it cost more than 100 dollars a month to host a decent sized server with a large map in rust? When I looked around at the prices I saw them average around from 35 to 50 dollars for a population of 250 from companies that specifically offer services for rust.

I understand that there are multiple ways to host a server and that when I hosted my servers I chose a much more expensive option of using a VM rather than just a dedicated server. So is my understanding wrong and does it really cost more than 100 dollars a month to host a decent rust server?

[Purple Sauce]

Originally posted by Hyphae:

Not saying this one is the best, but they host a lot of servers, GameServers.com:
https://www.gameservers.com/game_servers/rust.php

For 200 slots, which is the max they seem to offer, they're charging approx $48/month (I see it in Canadian funds, US is probably less).

EDIT: It's $35/month US funds

I'm sure you could pay $100 for a premium server, but it would have to have really good speeds and stability / features with a lot of slots.

Obviously you may save a few bucks by running it yourself, but even if it's fast, would probably be less stable because you are at the ISP's mercy and all kinds of other conditions. Obviously a paid server has that too but some have backup contingencies to keep them running 24/7. Also gotta factor time of setting up and energy / hardware / maintenance costs of running it yourself.

Yea that's why you pay for a dedicated server or use a VM. I was just wondering what the current/highest prices for a dedicated server are because I can't imagine them costing more than 100 bucks as the guy claimed.

[Purple Sauce]

Originally posted by Hyphae:

Well I don't think there is anything against them trying to make money from running a server.

That doesn't make it right or wrong, but if you don't want to support it then just don't buy into it. That wouldn't be the only server doing things like that.

Plus I don't know how all servers run, but maybe some even pay moderators or administrators for setup or to moderate. Some servers are known for having a higher moderator presence and not everyone wants to do it for free.

Makes sense but we are just talking about the cost of the server itself.

And if he wants to make money then fine, but he lied about the cost if he can't prove that the cost of the server itself was 100+.

That would be fine and dandy and I was more than willing to drop it, but he decided to ban me, because I pointed out that the price he was charging (5 pounds a month) was not maintenance but making money.

I just tend to not be in favor of deceptive practices especially not when they claim "it's not that bad" or "it's worth it" when it really isn't.

Just as a reference, pretty much all servers that I've been to have only asked for a one time 5 dollar donation and allows you to donate more if you want to. These are servers that have been running for a very long time and have a few thousand to use for server maintenance. Those servers were also fairly large and they were open about the costs as well and we could see them directly, what we were paying for, what we were getting, how much money they had, the cost to maintain the server, etc. All of that was publically available on some of the servers.

I don't really have a problem with it, just not a fan of people lying.

[Purple Sauce]

Also I have an idea of how to run a server since I've run a few myself (especially have my own rust servers since I have run into far too many problems with admins just because people can't talk to others, literally) and the making of a server from scratch, coding, mods, etc. took me about 10-12 hours to get everything up and running and hunky dory. Everything from there is just maintenance and if you are bigger some moderation. Moderators can easily be free if you have friends (which he definitely does) or you just find people who play a lot who are chill. I haven't really seen any mods asking for pay because they just play on that server anyway and they generally ask for the position as well if offered. That's just my experience though.