---
publishDate: 2026-06-28T16:50:00Z
lang: en
translationKey: rustdesk-server-pro-offline-air-gapped
draft: false
title: 'Can RustDesk Server Pro Run Offline or Air-Gapped?'
excerpt: "No — self-hosted RustDesk Server Pro needs ongoing outbound access to rustdesk.com to validate its license, so a fully air-gapped deployment isn't supported."
image: ~/assets/images/blog/rustdesk-server-pro-offline-air-gapped-og.webp
category: Deployment
tags:
  - RustDesk
  - deployment
  - self-hosting
author: RustDesk Team
faq:
  - question: 'Can RustDesk Server Pro run offline or air-gapped?'
    answer: 'No. The licensed Server Pro must keep an outbound connection to rustdesk.com to validate its license while it runs, so a fully air-gapped, never-phones-home deployment is not supported. You can still lock egress down tightly and route it through a proxy.'
  - question: 'Does RustDesk Server Pro need a permanent internet connection?'
    answer: 'It needs ongoing outbound access to rustdesk.com for license validation, but not a literally uninterrupted one. The server checks in over port 443 about once a day and, if a check fails, keeps retrying until it succeeds or roughly seven days pass — so a brief outage is tolerated, but a server cut off from rustdesk.com for longer than that grace window stops validating. Remote sessions themselves are brokered by your own self-hosted relay and ID (rendezvous) servers.'
  - question: 'Which outbound access does an isolated RustDesk Server Pro deployment need?'
    answer: 'Allow outbound HTTPS from the server to rustdesk.com for license validation (and for custom-client provisioning if you use it). A proxy is supported, so the rest of the network can stay locked down. Confirm the exact domains and ports in the RustDesk docs.'
  - question: 'Is there a fully air-gapped RustDesk licensing option?'
    answer: 'The standard licensed product is not designed for a never-phones-home air gap. If you have hard air-gap requirements, confirm your exact scenario with RustDesk before committing.'
metadata:
  description: "Can self-hosted RustDesk Server Pro run air-gapped? No — the Pro license needs ongoing outbound access to rustdesk.com, so a full air gap isn't supported."
  keywords: 'rustdesk server pro offline, rustdesk air-gapped, rustdesk self-hosted internet requirement, rustdesk server pro license check, rustdesk offline deployment, does rustdesk need internet'
---

No — a self-hosted RustDesk Server Pro deployment is not designed to run fully offline or air-gapped. The Pro license has to reach rustdesk.com over an outbound connection to stay valid — both when you activate it and on an ongoing basis while the server runs — so a truly never-phones-home network falls outside the supported model.

## The short answer

In practice the check is periodic rather than constant: the server contacts rustdesk.com over port 443 roughly once a day, and if a check fails it retries until it either succeeds or about seven days elapse — after which the license stops validating. That built-in grace window means a short internet outage will not immediately break your deployment, but a permanently offline server will. Your ID and relay services stay self-hosted; direct sessions flow between endpoints and relayed sessions use your relay. A proxy is supported, so you can allow the required outbound HTTPS path and lock the rest of the network down.

## In detail

This requirement applies specifically to the **licensed Server Pro** feature set — the open-source RustDesk server you can self-host without a license is a separate matter. If your goal is to keep session data on your own infrastructure, self-hosting already achieves that: the outbound requirement is about licensing, not about brokering every session.

One more workflow to account for: **building a custom client**. If you generate a branded or pre-configured client from Server Pro, that provisioning step also expects outbound access. Confirm the current behavior for your version and plan.

For a strictly air-gapped network, this is the deciding detail: a server that can _never_ reach rustdesk.com falls outside the default model, so if you have hard air-gap requirements, confirm your exact scenario with RustDesk before committing. For the far more common "mostly isolated, tight egress" setup, budget for one outbound HTTPS path to rustdesk.com — directly or via a proxy — and define the exact domains, ports, and approval workflow before you write the firewall policy. See the [RustDesk docs](https://rustdesk.com/docs), and note that the same license requirement is why you [cannot run Server Pro without any internet access even when installing without Docker](https://rustdesk.com/docs/en/self-host/rustdesk-server-pro/installscript/).

## Who asks this

Operators of isolated or regulated networks ask this before RustDesk is even installed — security teams and [MSPs](/blog/rustdesk-for-msps) serving locked-down environments alike, whether behind strict egress firewalls or simply minimizing external dependencies. Knowing the license needs an ongoing outbound path — but only that — lets them write a precise firewall rule instead of over-opening the network or wrongly assuming the product will run in a total vacuum.

## Related questions

- Outbound domains and ports: see the [RustDesk docs](https://rustdesk.com/docs).
- [Can I install RustDesk Server Pro without Docker on a plain VM?](https://rustdesk.com/docs/en/self-host/rustdesk-server-pro/installscript/)
- Generating a custom-branded client: see the [RustDesk docs](https://rustdesk.com/docs).

Planning a locked-down or near-air-gapped rollout? Confirm the current connectivity and licensing specifics on rustdesk.com before you finalize your firewall policy.
