How to Install Oxide (uMod) or Carbon on a Rust Server

To install Oxide on a Rust server, stop the server, download Oxide.Rust-linux.zip (or Oxide.Rust.zip on Windows) from the Oxide GitHub releases, extract it over the server files and start the server. For Carbon, extract its release archive into the same root folder. Install one, never both.

Before you start

• Choose your framework. Oxide vs Carbon compares them. Pick one, because the two cannot run in the same server install.
• Update Rust first. The framework build has to match your Rust build. Run your normal server update before you install anything.
• Take a backup. In our panel, open Backups and create one. It gives you a way back.
• Stop the server. Oxide's install guide warns that installing while the server runs can cause problems.

How to install Oxide on a Rust server

These steps follow the Oxide install guide.

1. Download the latest release from github.com/OxideMod/Oxide.Rust/releases. Skip any release labeled Pre-release.
2. Pick the right file. Oxide.Rust-linux.zip is for Linux servers and Oxide.Rust.zip is for Windows servers. Servers on our panel run Linux.
3. Extract it on your computer into a temporary folder first, not straight into the server.
4. Upload the contents to the root of your server, the folder that holds RustDedicated and the RustDedicated_Data folder. In the File Manager, use the upload button. Over SFTP, copy the files across. Overwrite files when asked.
5. Start the server. Oxide loads on its own.
6. Check that it works. Look for Oxide lines in the console, or type this:

oxide.version

You should see the Oxide version and branch. If the command is unknown, Oxide did not load. Check first that the release matches your Rust build.

How to install Carbon on a Rust server

These steps follow Carbon's getting started page.

1. Download the production build. Carbon publishes release files on GitHub under the production_build tag. The Linux file is Carbon.Linux.Release.tar.gz and the Windows file is Carbon.Windows.Release.zip. The docs describe production as the most stable build for the public Rust release.
2. Upload the archive to the server root, next to RustDedicated, and extract it there. In the File Manager, open the file's menu and unarchive it. Keep the folder structure exactly as it is in the archive.
3. Check for a carbon folder at the top level of the server.
4. Start the server. Look for Carbon lines in the console, then run:

c.version

Carbon's configuration lives in carbon/config.json. Its SelfUpdating option is on by default, so Carbon patches itself on boot after a Rust update.

Where Oxide and Carbon keep their files

Once installed, you will work in a few folders. Paths are from the server root.

Oxide also keeps plugin data in oxide/data, translations in oxide/lang and logs in oxide/logs. Back up the data folder, because plugins store player data there.

How to install a plugin

The method is the same on both frameworks. This uses Oxide's plugin install guide. Browse plugins on uMod.

1. Download the plugin's .cs file. Do not rename it or change its extension.
2. Upload it into oxide/plugins on Oxide, or carbon/plugins on Carbon.
3. Wait a few seconds. The framework notices the new file and compiles it. You do not need to restart the server.
4. List your plugins to make sure it loaded:

oxide.plugins

On Carbon, use c.plugins instead. The Oxide list shows the plugins that loaded, and also the ones that failed, with the reason.

To change a plugin's settings, edit the file it creates in the config folder (configs on Carbon), then reload just that plugin:

oxide.reload PluginName

Carbon uses c.reload PluginName. To update a plugin, replace its .cs file. The framework reloads it for you.

Give players permission to use a plugin

Many plugins hide their commands behind permissions. On Oxide you grant them from the console:

oxide.grant group default pluginname.use

default is the group every player belongs to, and admin is the group for owners. You can also grant a permission to one player by using user and their name or Steam ID in place of group default. How to become admin on a Rust server covers owners and moderators.

What to do after every Rust update

Rust updates on the first Thursday of every month, and Facepunch ships hotfixes in between. After each update:

1. Back up the server.
2. Update Rust with SteamCMD or your normal method.
3. Oxide: download the release that matches the new Rust build and extract it over the server files again. Its guide says every Facepunch update has an Oxide update.
4. Carbon: start the server and let it patch itself on boot.
5. Check the plugin list and fix any plugin that failed. Wipe days are the busiest time to find a broken plugin, so see how to wipe a Rust server before the first Thursday.

How to check a plugin before you install it

A plugin is code that runs inside your server, so treat each one the way you would treat a program on your own PC.

• Download from the plugin's official page, on uMod or the author's own page. Avoid copies re-uploaded to file-sharing sites.
• Read the description and the comments. Authors list the Rust version, the dependencies and the permissions the plugin adds. Recent comments tell you if the last update broke something.
• Open the .cs file. Plugins are plain text. If a plugin asks for access you do not expect, such as sending data to a web address, leave it out.
• Add one plugin at a time, and run oxide.plugins after each. If the server starts to lag, you know which one caused it.
• Keep the list short. Every plugin you load costs memory and CPU, and plugins that overlap can conflict.

Why a plugin does not load

Run the plugin list and read the reason next to the failed plugin. The usual causes:

• The framework does not match the Rust build. Update Oxide, or let Carbon finish its self-update.
• The plugin is out of date. Plugins that depend on game code can break after an update. Download the latest version of the file.
• A plugin needs another plugin. The error names it.
• Two copies of the same plugin. Keep only the newest file.

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