Remote Desktop Collaboration with Rustdesk

Live stream set for 2025-06-30 at 14:00:00 Eastern

Ask questions in the live chat about any programming or lifestyle topic.

This livestream will be on YouTube or you can watch below.

🔧 Secure Remote Desktop with Rustdesk: Self-Hosted Server + Client Setup (Podman)

Remote desktop access is a vital tool for many of us — whether for tech support, accessing your home computer, or working remotely. Rustdesk is a fantastic open-source alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk that puts you in control by allowing self-hosted servers. In this post, we’ll walk through setting up the Rustdesk server using Podman and installing the client, so you can get secure remote access without relying on third-party cloud services.

📌 What is Rustdesk?

Rustdesk is an open-source remote desktop software written in Rust. It provides features like:

• End-to-end encrypted communication
• Cross-platform clients (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS)
• Self-hosted relay and rendezvous servers
• Simple installation and usage

Official site: https://rustdesk.com

📦 Part 1: Install Rustdesk Server Using Podman

Rustdesk’s server consists of two components:

• hbbs (the relay server)
• hbbr (the rendezvous server)

Here’s how to run both using Podman on your own machine or server.

📝 Step-by-Step Guide:

Create a directory for your Rustdesk server config:

      mkdir -p ~/rustdesk-server/data
      cd ~/rustdesk-server
      

Run Rustdesk containers (hbbs + hbbr):

      # Run the relay server
      podman run -d --name hbbs \
        -p 21115:21115 \
        -p 21116:21116 \
        -p 21116:21116/udp \
        -p 21118:21118 \
        -v ./data:/root \
        rustdesk/rustdesk-server hbbs -r your.public.ip
      # Run the rendezvous server
      podman run -d --name hbbr \
        -p 21117:21117 \
        -v ./data:/root \
        rustdesk/rustdesk-server hbbr</code></pre>
      

🔒 Note: Replace your.public.ip with your server’s public IP address. Make sure ports 21115–21118 are open on your firewall.

🔬 Check if it’s working:

You can check logs with:

1. podman logs hbbs
2. podman logs hbbr

If both are running fine, your server is ready!

💻 Part 2: Install the Rustdesk Client

🧩 Download and install:

Head to the official download page and install Rustdesk for your platform.

⚙️ Configuration:

Once installed, go to Settings > ID/Relay Server and enter:

• Relay Server IP: your.public.ip
• Key: (leave blank unless configured)
• Use Custom Server: enabled

You’ll now be connecting via your own server infrastructure — fully private.

📷 Part 3: Screenshots

🎬 Part 4: Live YouTube Screencast

🤝 Need Help Installing Rustdesk?

If you’d like help setting up your Rustdesk server, I offer:

• 1-on-1 installation support
• Custom configuration (SSL, domain names, NAT/firewall issues)
• Troubleshooting connectivity and client issues

➡️ Contact me via the Contact page or leave a comment below, and I’ll get in touch!

💬 Conclusion

Rustdesk is a powerful, lightweight, and private alternative to commercial remote desktop solutions. By self-hosting your Rustdesk server, you maintain full control over your remote connections — no third-party tracking, no compromises.

Happy remoting!