VPS for RustDesk (self-hosted remote desktop)

Remote-desktop tools are convenient right up until the free tier decides you look "commercial" and locks you out mid-session, or you'd simply rather your screen didn't route through someone else's cloud. RustDesk is an open-source remote-desktop app, and the interesting part is that you can run its server side yourself: point every client at your own VPS, and your sessions relay through a machine you control. Pay for it in crypto, no KYC.

What RustDesk needs from a server

RustDesk's self-hosted server is two small pieces: hbbs (the ID/rendezvous server that lets clients find each other) and hbbr (the relay that carries the session when a direct connection isn't possible). Neither is heavy — the requirements come from reachability and bandwidth, not compute:

• A dedicated IPv4 and open ports. Clients connect inbound to your server on ports 21115-21119 (TCP) and 21116 (UDP). That needs a public IP that's yours and the freedom to open ports — a dedicated-IP plan. NAT plans can't accept arbitrary inbound, so they won't serve RustDesk. Nano-IP ($8/mo) is plenty for personal or small-team use.
• Bandwidth, when a session relays. A relayed session carries the video stream through your box. Traffic is unmetered on every plan here, so a busy screen-share won't produce a surprise bill — but if several people connect at once, size up for the throughput.
• Barely any CPU/RAM. hbbs and hbbr sip resources; the smallest dedicated-IP box runs them fine.

Set it up (Ubuntu 24.04, Docker)

# dedicated-IP plan, root shell
apt update && apt install -y docker.io docker-compose-v2
systemctl enable --now docker

mkdir -p /opt/rustdesk && cd /opt/rustdesk
cat > docker-compose.yml <<'EOF'
services:
  hbbs:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    command: hbbs -r <YOUR.SERVER.IP>:21117
    network_mode: host
    volumes: ["./data:/root"]
    restart: unless-stopped
  hbbr:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    command: hbbr
    network_mode: host
    volumes: ["./data:/root"]
    restart: unless-stopped
EOF

docker compose up -d
ufw allow 21115:21119/tcp && ufw allow 21116/udp

On first start, hbbs writes a public key to ./data/id_ed25519.pub. In each RustDesk client, open Settings → Network → ID/Relay Server, enter your server's IP and paste that key. From then on your clients rendezvous and relay through your own box.

Who this is for

• Privacy-minded users who don't want their remote sessions routed through a vendor cloud.
• Small teams and freelancers hit by "commercial use" nags on free tiers — self-hosting removes the per-seat model entirely.
• Home-lab and self-hosters who already run their own services and want remote access on the same terms: their box, their rules.

Why EQVPS for RustDesk

• Dedicated IPv4 from $8/mo, all ports open, self-service reverse DNS.
• EU locations (Germany, Finland) — clean routes, real data-protection law.
• No KYC, crypto payment. Email to register, USDC/USDT to pay — fitting for a private remote-desktop endpoint.
• Root in ~60 seconds, unmetered traffic. Bring up hbbs + hbbr, open the ports, and your own remote desktop is live.

If you also want an encrypted tunnel for all your traffic rather than just remote desktop, the self-hosted WireGuard VPN covers that; and before you expose anything, run the new-VPS security checklist.