Install CarbonThe modern framework - and how it differs from Oxide

Published on August 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Carbon vs. Oxide - the difference

Both frameworks provide a plugin interface, but they have different priorities:

• Oxide / uMod: The established standard with the largest plugin catalog. Almost every plugin is built primarily for Oxide.
• Carbon: A more modern architecture with a focus on performance. Carbon loads existing Oxide/uMod plugins through a compatibility layer and is often ready again sooner after the monthly force wipe.

Rule of thumb: if you want the widest plugin selection and the well-trodden path, stay with Oxide. If you care about performance and fast availability on wipe day, try Carbon.

Activate Carbon

In the web interface, you switch the framework without swapping any files by hand:

1. Open the server configuration of your Rust server.
2. Select Carbon instead of Oxide as the modding framework.
3. Restart the server - Carbon is installed during startup.

Afterwards, the folder carbon/ exists with plugins/, configs/, data/ and lang/. If the server was running Oxide before, back up your plugin configs first.

Use plugins with Carbon

You upload plugins via FTP/SFTP as usual - just into the Carbon folder:

1. Download the PluginName.cs from umod.org or from the Carbon community.
2. Put it into carbon/plugins/.
3. Carbon loads it automatically; in the console, c.reload PluginName helps.

Thanks to the compatibility layer, most Oxide plugins run unchanged. With very low-level or exotic plugins, a quick test before going live is worth it.

Can I switch between Carbon and Oxide?

Yes. You only ever run one framework at a time. You can switch at any time via the framework selection in the web interface - most cleanly at a wipe. Back up your plugin configurations first (config/ or configs/), so you can bring your settings into the new framework.

What you can take along when switching

Switching frameworks is not a fresh start, but it is not a simple toggle either. This overview shows what carries over and what you have to bring along by hand:

Download the complete server folder before switching. With us, backups are self-service across the board via WebFTP or SFTP, see Create backups. That also keeps the way back open in case an important plugin does not run under the other framework.

Which framework fits your server?

The decision depends less on performance figures than on your plugin list and your patience on wipe day:

• Oxide / uMod is the established choice. Practically every plugin out there was written for it, and there is a guide for every problem. If your server simply needs to run, that is the safe route - see Install Oxide.
• Carbon is the faster alternative and is often ready sooner after a Rust update. On force wipe day, that is a real advantage: whoever is online first gets the players. The price is a somewhat smaller selection of tested plugins.

The pragmatic approach: check your three to five most important plugins for Carbon compatibility. If they run, Carbon is a good choice. If your server concept depends on a plugin that only runs under Oxide, the decision has been made anyway.

When plugins do not load

After a switch or after a Rust update, it is almost always one of these points: the plugins are in the folder of the other framework and simply are not seen. Or a plugin version does not match the framework version. Or the framework itself has not caught up with the Rust update yet.

c.plugins via RCON shows which plugins are actually loaded. Comparing this list with the folder contents tells you within seconds whether it is a placement problem or a version problem.

Frequently asked questions