Install & configure Rust pluginsUpload, configure, set permissions

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

Requirement: an active framework

Plugins need a modding framework. First activate Oxide / uMod or Carbon in the web interface. After that, the plugin folder exists (oxide/plugins/ or carbon/plugins/).

Upload a plugin

1. Download the plugin as PluginName.cs from umod.org (or from the Carbon community).
2. Connect to your server via WebFTP in your browser or with an SFTP client (such as FileZilla).
3. Put the file into the plugin folder. The framework compiles and loads it automatically (hot reload).
4. Check the server console for messages such as "Loaded plugin PluginName".

To reload manually: oxide.reload PluginName (Oxide) or c.reload PluginName (Carbon).

Edit config & data

On its first start, a plugin generates its default configuration:

• config/PluginName.json - settings (prices, cooldowns, options).
• data/ - stored runtime data (for example kits, clans).
• lang/de/ or lang/en/ - text strings for different languages.

Edit the JSON file via FTP, make sure it is valid JSON (commas, quotation marks) and reload the plugin afterwards so the changes take effect.

One detail is easily overlooked: many plugins write their configuration back themselves - for example when a new version adds extra options. If you edit the file while the plugin is loaded, your version can be overwritten in the process. The safe way is therefore: unload the plugin or stop the server, change the file, load the plugin again.

The difference between config/ and data/ matters more than it looks. You set the configuration yourself and can rebuild it in half an hour if necessary. The data has grown - zones, scores, kits, groups - and cannot be reconstructed. If you only back up one of the two folders, make it this one.

Permissions with oxide.grant

Many plugins work with permissions and groups. Examples in the server console:

oxide.grant group default kits.use
oxide.grant user 76561198XXXXXXXXX vanish.use
oxide.group add vip
oxide.grant group vip kits.vip

This way, you can, for example, allow all players to use the kit command, give a single player (SteamID64) vanish rights or create a VIP group. Under Carbon, the same commands work with the prefix c..

Popular plugins

• Kits - starter and rank packages with items and cooldowns.
• Clans - clan system with tags, friendly fire protection and chat.
• ZLevels - gathering skill system with increasing yields.
• BetterLoot - configurable loot tables.
• Vanish - invisible admin mode for moderation.
• AdminRadar - overlay with players, bases and loot.
• Rust:IO - live map of the server in the browser.

Dependencies: why a plugin runs for others but not for you

Not every plugin runs on its own. Some require a second plugin that provides basic functions - typical for economy, menu and statistics systems. If this foundation is missing, the console reports a missing reference while loading and the plugin stays inactive, even though the file is sitting perfectly correctly in the folder.

Whatever umod.org lists under a plugin's requirements should therefore be downloaded along with it. As a rule, the error resolves itself as soon as the missing file is in the plugin folder too - so a single error message right after the first upload does not mean much yet. Upload files that belong together at the same time and only then look at the console.

A compile error is something else: in that case, the console names a line number from the .cs file. That is not a configuration problem, but a sign that the plugin version does not match the installed framework version. Usually, only the current version of the plugin helps - or patience until the author has caught up.

Plugins and the force wipe

The monthly force wipe is the most critical day for a modded server - not because of the map, but because of the framework. The Rust update overwrites the framework files; until a matching version of Oxide or Carbon is available, not a single plugin loads. The server then keeps running as a vanilla server, without any error message appearing in the game. What looks like a broken plugin from the outside is in fact a missing framework.

The plugin files themselves and their configurations are not affected. They live outside the save files and survive a map wipe unchanged - so you do not need to upload anything again after the wipe. There is still one place you need to clean up: plugin data tied to the world - set zones, markers, event points - points into nowhere after a new seed. These entries should be reset at the wipe, otherwise an event triggers in the middle of the ocean.

Two preparations save you most of the trouble: before wipe day, check whether there are current versions of your most important plugins, and back up the complete plugin folder including configurations beforehand. With us, backups are self-service across the board via WebFTP or SFTP, see Create backups.

How many plugins can a server handle?

Every plugin costs memory and computing time, some of it in every server tick. You rarely notice this with a single plugin, but with the total: a server with forty extensions, half of which run along unused, loses performance - and for players, that shows up as delayed hits. How to measure and narrow this down is covered in Optimize server performance & FPS.

A useful rule of thumb: every plugin has to serve a need your players actually have. Everything else goes.

• Test one at a time instead of ten at once - that is the only way to attribute a problem to a plugin later.
• Unload instead of deleting when you want to retire something. The configuration is kept in case you change your mind.
• Clean up at the wipe - that is the natural moment to remove plugins nobody missed.
• Avoid overlapping responsibilities. Two plugins that both touch the same values produce unpredictable results - especially with the gather rates.

A lean list also pays off on wipe day: the fewer plugins you run, the lower the chance that one of them has not been adapted after the monthly update yet and keeps you from starting.

Frequently asked questions