rustdesk/docs/NETWORK_BINDING.md

Network Interface Binding

RustDesk can be configured to bind to a specific network interface by IP address.

Configuration

To bind RustDesk to a specific network interface, set the bind-interface option in your configuration.

Option Name

bind-interface

Supported Values

• Empty string (default): Bind to all available interfaces (0.0.0.0 for IPv4, :: for IPv6)
• IPv4 address: e.g., 192.168.1.100, 10.0.0.1
• IPv6 address: e.g., ::1, fe80::1, 2001:db8::1

Usage Examples

Bind to a specific IPv4 address

To bind RustDesk to only listen on interface with IP address 192.168.1.100:

{
  "options": {
    "bind-interface": "192.168.1.100"
  }
}

Bind to IPv6 localhost

{
  "options": {
    "bind-interface": "::1"
  }
}

Bind to all interfaces (default)

{
  "options": {
    "bind-interface": ""
  }
}

Or simply omit the bind-interface option entirely.

How It Works

When the bind-interface option is set:

1. RustDesk reads the configuration when starting the direct server
2. If bind-interface is empty or not set, it binds to all available network interfaces
3. If bind-interface contains a valid IP address:
   • RustDesk validates the IP address format (supports both IPv4 and IPv6)
   • Creates a TCP socket and binds it to the specified IP address
   • Starts listening for connections on that interface only

Use Cases

Multiple Network Interfaces

If your machine has multiple network interfaces (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi, VPN), you can force RustDesk to use a specific one:

• Example: Force RustDesk to use the Ethernet interface at 192.168.1.100 instead of the Wi-Fi interface at 192.168.2.50

Security

Restrict RustDesk to listen only on internal network interfaces:

• Example: Bind to 10.0.0.5 (internal network) instead of listening on all interfaces including public-facing ones

VPN/Tunneling

Force RustDesk to use a VPN or tunnel interface:

• Example: Bind to the VPN interface IP address to ensure all traffic goes through the VPN

Troubleshooting

Invalid bind address error

If you see an error like "Invalid bind interface address", check that:

• The IP address format is correct (no typos)
• The IP address is valid (e.g., not 999.999.999.999)
• The IP address exists on one of your machine's network interfaces

Failed to start direct server

If RustDesk fails to start with a bind error, it could be because:

• The specified IP address doesn't exist on your machine
• Another application is already using the port on that interface
• You don't have permission to bind to that address

Finding your network interface IP addresses

Windows:

ipconfig

Linux/macOS:

ip addr show    # Linux
ifconfig        # macOS/Linux

Look for the inet (IPv4) or inet6 (IPv6) addresses associated with your network interfaces.

Related Discussion

This feature was implemented to address: https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk/discussions/2286