March 8, 2025•8 min read

Self-Hosted RustDesk Server on Oracle Cloud Free Tier

Self-HostedCloudRemote Access

Deploy a privacy-focused, self-hosted alternative to TeamViewer on Oracle Cloud's free tier with Docker and SSL.

Set up a self-hosted RustDesk server on an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Free Tier VM using Docker and Nginx as a reverse proxy with SSL. Deploy RustDesk securely and enable remote desktop connections without exposing sensitive details.

RustDesk Official Server on GitHub

Note: All references to IP addresses, domain names, and keys are generic. Replace placeholders with your own values during your setup. This guide assumes you are using an Oracle Free Tier instance (e.g. a VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro shape) and a domain of your choosing.

Overview

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop solution that uses two main services:

hbbs (ID/Rendezvous Server)

Allows clients to discover and negotiate connections.

hbbr (Relay Server)

Relays traffic when a direct connection is not possible.

This guide deploys both services on an OCI Free Tier VM, secures them with SSL using Nginx, and configures your clients.

Prerequisites

OCI Account: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure account (Free Tier eligible).
Linux VM: A Linux-based VM instance on OCI (e.g. Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS or Oracle Linux).
Domain Name: A domain for your reverse proxy (e.g. <YOUR_DOMAIN>).
Working Knowledge: Basic knowledge of SSH, Docker, and network/firewall management.
Docker: Docker and Docker Compose installed on your VM.

OCI VM Setup on Free Tier

Step 1: Launch Your OCI Instance

Log in to your OCI Console.
Navigate to Compute > Instances and create a new instance.
Choose a Linux image (e.g. Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS) and select the VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro shape (Always Free eligible).

Step 2: Access Your VM

Connect via SSH:

ssh -i /path/to/your/private_key username@<YOUR_VM_PUBLIC_IP>

Replace /path/to/your/private_key and <YOUR_VM_PUBLIC_IP> with your key file and assigned public IP.

Step 3: Install Docker and Docker Compose

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

Firewall and Ingress Configuration

OCI Security List Ingress Rules

In OCI, configure your Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) with Security List rules to allow the necessary traffic:

Rule 1: TCP for RustDesk

Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Protocol: TCP
Port Range: 21115-21119

Rule 2: UDP for RustDesk

Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Protocol: UDP
Port: 21116

Rule 3: HTTP

Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Protocol: TCP
Port: 80

Rule 4: HTTPS

Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Protocol: TCP
Port: 443

These rules ensure that the RustDesk services and the Nginx reverse proxy are accessible from the internet.

Local Firewall Configuration (UFW on Ubuntu)

On your VM, allow the same ports:

sudo ufw allow 21115/tcp
sudo ufw allow 21116/tcp
sudo ufw allow 21116/udp
sudo ufw allow 21117/tcp
sudo ufw allow 21118/tcp
sudo ufw allow 21119/tcp
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Docker Compose Setup for RustDesk

Step 1: Create a Working Directory

sudo mkdir -p /opt/rustdesk
cd /opt/rustdesk

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

version: '3'
services:
  hbbs:
    container_name: hbbs
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    command: hbbs -r 127.0.0.1:21117 -k _
    ports:
      - "21115:21115"
      - "21116:21116"
      - "21116:21116/udp"
      - "21118:21118"
    volumes:
      - ./hbbs:/root
    depends_on:
      - hbbr
    restart: unless-stopped

  hbbr:
    container_name: hbbr
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:latest
    command: hbbr -k _
    ports:
      - "21117:21117"
      - "21119:21119"
    volumes:
      - ./hbbr:/root
    restart: unless-stopped

Step 3: Deploy the Containers

sudo docker-compose up -d

Step 4: Verify Deployment

sudo docker ps

Reverse Proxy & DNS Setup

1. DNS Configuration

Log in to your DNS provider.
Create an A Record:
- Name: Use a subdomain (e.g. support)
- Type: A
- Value: Your VM's public IP (replace with <YOUR_VM_PUBLIC_IP>)
Allow Time for Propagation: Verify that your subdomain resolves correctly using tools like WhatsMyDNS.

2. Nginx Reverse Proxy Setup

Install Nginx

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y

Create the Configuration File

sudo nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/rustdesk.conf

Add the Following Configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name <YOUR_DOMAIN>;

    # Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name <YOUR_DOMAIN>;

    # SSL configuration (certificates obtained via Certbot)
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/<YOUR_DOMAIN>/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/<YOUR_DOMAIN>/privkey.pem;
    include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-nginx.conf;
    ssl_dhparam /etc/letsencrypt/ssl-dhparams.pem;

    # Main reverse proxy for RustDesk web interface
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:21114/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }

    # Reverse proxy for WebSocket endpoints
    location /ws/id {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:21118;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "Upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }

    location /ws/relay {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:21119;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "Upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

Replace <YOUR_DOMAIN> with your chosen domain (e.g. support.yourdomain.com).

Test and Reload Nginx

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Obtain an SSL Certificate with Certbot

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d <YOUR_DOMAIN>

Follow the prompts to complete certificate issuance.

RustDesk Server & Client Configuration

Server Configuration

Retrieve the Public Key

sudo cat /opt/rustdesk/hbbs/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the output (this is needed for client configuration).

Ensure Services Are Running

sudo docker ps

Client Configuration

Download and Install the RustDesk Client

For desktop or mobile, visit the RustDesk Downloads page.

Configure Network Settings

Open Settings in the client and go to the Network tab.
ID Server: Set to <YOUR_DOMAIN> (e.g. support.yourdomain.com).
Key: Paste the public key from your server.
Leave the Relay Server and API fields blank unless using a custom setup.
Save your settings.

Test the Connection

Note the unique RustDesk ID on the client.
Use another client to connect by entering the target device's ID.

Additional Notes

Certificate Renewal

Certbot auto-renews certificates. Test with:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Monitoring

Monitor Docker logs for RustDesk services:

sudo docker logs hbbs
sudo docker logs hbbr

Additional Resources

RustDesk Documentation Oracle Cloud Free Tier Server GitHub Repo