How to install plugins on your Rust server using the Oxide or Carbon modding frameworks, plus what actually affects performance so you can keep the server running smoothly.
Rust plugins let you add custom features, from kits and shops to raid protection and events. To run them you first need a modding framework installed. A modding framework is the base layer that loads plugins and gives them access to the game. You have two options: Oxide (also known as uMod) and Carbon. You pick one, install it, then drop plugin files in through the file manager.
Oxide or Carbon: pick one
Both do the same core job of loading plugins. Oxide (uMod) is the older, very widely supported one, and most plugins are written for it. Carbon is newer, aims to be faster, and stays compatible with the large majority of Oxide plugins while adding some tools of its own, like a built in profiler.
You run one framework at a time, not both together. If your server type or startup option lets you choose, set it there.
- Open your server in the panel and go to the Startup tab.
- Look for the server type or build option. Depending on your setup, choosing an Oxide or Carbon build here is what installs the framework. Look on the Startup tab for the modding framework option (often a build or framework variable), set it to Oxide or Carbon, then reinstall or restart to apply.
- If there is no such option, contact support and we can point you at the right build.
Installing a plugin
Plugins are single .cs files that you place in the framework's plugins folder.
- Download the plugin .cs file from a trusted source, such as uMod for Oxide plugins or the Carbon plugin listings.
- In the panel, stop the server from the Console tab, or leave it running if you are comfortable hot loading. The framework can load plugins on the fly, but stopping is the safe choice while you learn.
- Go to the Files tab and open the plugins folder. For Oxide this is usually oxide/plugins. For Carbon it is usually carbon/plugins.
- Upload the .cs file into that folder.
- Start the server. If it is already running, the framework should detect and compile the new plugin automatically. Watch the Console tab for a message saying the plugin loaded, or for any compile errors.
- Most plugins create a config file after their first load, typically under oxide/config or carbon/config. Edit that file to change settings, then reload the plugin.
What actually affects performance
This is the part people get wrong. The raw number of plugins barely matters. You can run a lot of small, well written plugins with almost no impact.
What actually hurts is expensive hooks. A hook is a point where the game calls into a plugin, for example "a player took damage" or "the server ticked". A plugin that runs heavy code on a hook that fires constantly, like every server tick or every single damage event, does that work over and over, many times a second. Multiply one costly hook across several plugins and that is where your frame time goes.
So when your server starts stuttering, do not just count plugins. Find the ones doing expensive work on hot hooks.
- If you are on Carbon, use its built in profiler. It can measure how much time each plugin and hook is actually eating.
- Run the profiler while the server is under normal load, then look for the plugins with the highest time on frequently called hooks.
- Remove, replace, or reconfigure the worst offenders. Sometimes a single setting in a plugin's config turns off the expensive behaviour.
- Measure again to confirm the change helped.
If you are on Oxide instead of Carbon, you have fewer built in profiling tools, which is one practical reason people move to Carbon on busier servers.
Troubleshooting
- Plugin did not load: check the Console tab for a compile error. A red error usually means the plugin does not match your current Rust or framework version. Grab an updated version of the plugin.
- Plugin loaded but does nothing: open its config file, confirm it is enabled and set up how you expect, then reload the plugin.
- Server lags after adding plugins: do not assume it is the newest one. Run the Carbon profiler to find the plugin actually burning time on hot hooks.
- Switched frameworks and plugins vanished: Oxide and Carbon use different folders (oxide/plugins versus carbon/plugins). Move your .cs files into the folder for the framework you are now running.
- Everything broke after a monthly Rust update: frameworks and plugins often need updating right after Facepunch's monthly build. Update the framework first, then any plugins that still error.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.