How to Install Oxide/uMod Plugins on a Rust Server

Vanilla Rust is great, but plugins are what make community servers stick — kits, teleports, economy, events, and admin tools. This guide covers installing the Oxide/uMod framework on an existing Rust dedicated server, adding plugins the right way, and managing configs and permissions.

This assumes you already have a working server. If not, start with how to set up a Rust dedicated server on a VPS.

Oxide/uMod vs Carbon

Two modding frameworks dominate Rust:

• Oxide/uMod — the long-standing standard. The largest plugin library targets it, and it is what most tutorials assume.
• Carbon — a newer, performance-focused framework that is broadly compatible with Oxide plugins.

This guide uses Oxide/uMod because it has the widest plugin support. The workflow for Carbon is similar.

Step 1: Stop the server and back up

Always stop the service before modding, and take a backup of your save first:

sudo systemctl stop rust
cp -r /home/rust/server/server/myserver /home/rust/backup-$(date +%F)

Step 2: Install the Oxide/uMod framework

Download the latest Linux build of Oxide for Rust and unzip it over your server install. The archive drops an oxide runtime and creates the oxide/ folder structure on first launch:

sudo su - rust
cd /home/rust/server
curl -sL -o oxide.zip https://umod.org/games/rust/download/develop
unzip -o oxide.zip
rm oxide.zip

Start the server once so Oxide initialises and creates its folders:

sudo systemctl start rust
sudo journalctl -u rust -f

You should see Oxide load in the log. Once it does, stop the server again to add plugins.

{{SCREENSHOT}}

Step 3: Understand the Oxide folder layout

After the first Oxide launch you'll have:

• oxide/plugins/ — drop .cs plugin files here.
• oxide/config/ — one JSON config per plugin, created automatically on first load.
• oxide/data/ — persistent plugin data (player records, homes, etc.).
• oxide/lang/ — translation files.

Step 4: Add a plugin

Plugins are single .cs files. Download one from uMod and drop it into oxide/plugins/:

cd /home/rust/server/oxide/plugins
curl -sL -o AdminRadar.cs https://umod.org/plugins/AdminRadar.cs

Oxide hot-loads plugins — if the server is running, it picks up the new file within a few seconds and generates a default config in oxide/config/. No restart needed to add or reload a plugin.

Step 5: Configure and reload

Edit the plugin's JSON config, then reload just that plugin from RCON or the console:

oxide.reload AdminRadar

Useful console commands:

• oxide.plugins — list loaded plugins.
• oxide.load PluginName / oxide.unload PluginName — load or unload one.
• oxide.reload PluginName — apply config changes.

Step 6: Permissions and groups

Most plugins gate features behind permissions. Grant them to a group or a specific player (use their SteamID64):

oxide.group add vip
oxide.grant group vip kits.use
oxide.usergroup add 7656119XXXXXXXXXX vip
oxide.grant user 7656119XXXXXXXXXX adminradar.allowed

This is the same permission system across nearly all Oxide plugins, so once you learn it you can configure any of them.

Keeping plugins working after updates

When Rust updates (weekly and on forced wipes), plugins occasionally break until their authors update them. After every Rust update, reapply Oxide and check the log for plugins that failed to load. Automating the game update itself is covered in keeping a SteamCMD server updated automatically. Remember that plugins also add memory overhead, which factors into how much RAM your Rust server needs.

FAQ

Where do I put Rust plugins?

In oxide/plugins/ inside your server install. Oxide hot-loads .cs files there automatically and writes each plugin's config to oxide/config/.

Do players need to install anything to join a modded Rust server?

No. Oxide/uMod plugins are server-side. Players connect with the normal Rust client — no downloads required.

Why won't my plugin load?

Usually a version mismatch after a Rust update, a missing dependency plugin, or a malformed config. Check journalctl -u rust for the exact error, and make sure any required plugins are also present.

How do I remove a plugin?

Run oxide.unload PluginName, then delete its .cs file from oxide/plugins/. Optionally clean up its config and data files.

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