RustDesk Server: A Secure, Self-Hosted Alternative for Remote Desktop Access

RustDesk offers a fully open-source solution for remote desktop access—self-hosted, secure, and built with sysadmins in mind.

As privacy concerns grow and control over infrastructure becomes increasingly critical, IT professionals are turning to self-hosted alternatives for remote desktop software. RustDesk emerges as a powerful and transparent solution that allows organizations to manage remote access entirely on their own terms, without relying on cloud intermediaries.

In this article, we explore the components of the RustDesk server, how it compares to other remote desktop solutions, and provide step-by-step guidance for deploying it using Docker or from source.

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What is RustDesk Server?

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop solution that supports end-to-end encrypted connections across platforms. Its server infrastructure allows sysadmins to host the backend required for client communication, offering full data ownership and control.

The server consists of three core binaries:

• hbbs – The ID broker and rendezvous server that manages device IDs and session initiation.
• hbbr – The relay server for handling NAT traversal and indirect connections.
• rustdesk-utils – CLI utilities including keypair generation.

These components ensure peer-to-peer (P2P) connectivity whenever possible, falling back to relayed communication when necessary.

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Deployment Options

1. Quick Deployment with Docker

Basic usage (host networking)

docker run --name hbbs --net=host -v "$PWD/data:/root" -d rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest hbbs -r <relay-server-ip:21117>
docker run --name hbbr --net=host -v "$PWD/data:/root" -d rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest hbbr

Note: --net=host is required for P2P to function properly.

Port-mapped alternative

docker run --name hbbs -p 21115:21115 -p 21116:21116 -p 21116:21116/udp -p 21118:21118 \
  -v "$PWD/data:/root" -d rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest hbbs -r <relay-server-ip:21117>

docker run --name hbbr -p 21117:21117 -p 21119:21119 \
  -v "$PWD/data:/root" -d rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest hbbr

Using docker-compose

version: '3'

services:
  hbbs:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    container_name: hbbs
    ports:
      - 21115:21115
      - 21116:21116
      - 21116:21116/udp
      - 21118:21118
    command: hbbs -r rustdesk.example.com:21117
    volumes:
      - ./data:/root
    restart: unless-stopped

  hbbr:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    container_name: hbbr
    ports:
      - 21117:21117
      - 21119:21119
    volumes:
      - ./data:/root
    restart: unless-stopped

2. S6-Overlay Version (All-in-One Container)

This version uses BusyBox and S6-overlay to supervise both hbbs and hbbr within a single container:

docker run --name rustdesk-server \
  --net=host \
  -e "RELAY=relay.example.com" \
  -e "ENCRYPTED_ONLY=1" \
  -v "$PWD/data:/data" -d rustdesk/rustdesk-server-s6:latest

You can also run it with port mappings instead of host networking if P2P is not required.

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Managing Server Keys

RustDesk uses key pairs for encryption. These can be generated using the CLI:

docker run --rm --entrypoint /usr/bin/rustdesk-utils rustdesk/rustdesk-server-s6:latest genkeypair

Example output:

Public Key:  iEyskoaYRwLDy5+0qNDqkbPdpxr0kXRSZxNjEsqykyE=
Secret Key:  FR2j78IxfwJNR+HjLluQ2Nh7eEryEeIZCwiQDPVe+PaITKyShphHAsPLn7So0OqRs92nGvSRdFJnE2MSyrKTIQ==

You can pass these keys to the container as environment variables or Docker secrets.

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Advanced Configuration

The S6 container supports additional environment variables:

Variable	Description
RELAY	IP or hostname of the relay server (hbbr)
ENCRYPTED_ONLY	If set to 1, disallows unencrypted connections
DB_URL	Path to the SQLite database
KEY_PUB / KEY_PRIV	Public/private keys for encryption

These settings allow for hardened, policy-compliant deployments.

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Manual Installation from Source

If you prefer compiling the binaries:

git clone https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk-server
cd rustdesk-server
cargo build --release

The compiled binaries will be located in target/release.

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Required Ports Overview

Service	Ports (TCP)	Ports (UDP)	Purpose
hbbs	21115, 21116, 21118	21116	Session handling, broker
hbbr	21117, 21119	–	Relay and fallback connections

Ensure these ports are open on your firewall or cloud security group.

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Conclusion

RustDesk provides system administrators with a flexible, secure, and cost-effective solution for remote desktop access. Unlike proprietary tools, RustDesk is fully open-source and can be deployed on-premises or in private clouds, offering complete ownership and control over your infrastructure.

Whether you are supporting remote workers, managing edge devices, or replacing commercial alternatives, RustDesk is a viable and modern choice.

You can explore the official project here:
👉 https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk-server