How to Install Rust Plugins (Oxide & Carbon)

Installing Rust plugins is simpler than it looks. A plugin is just a single C# source file (.cs) that your mod loader compiles and runs at startup. This guide walks through the whole process on both Oxide (uMod) and Carbon, and shows the one-click shortcut if you'd rather skip the file wrangling.

Step 1: Make sure a mod loader is installed

Plugins can't run on a stock server. You need one of two loaders:

• Oxide/uMod — the classic, most-supported framework.
• Carbon — a faster, drop-in-compatible alternative that runs most Oxide plugins unchanged.

On Nxeon, both are one-click options in the control panel, so you never install them by hand. If you self-host, you'd extract the loader's files into your server's root directory over the base install.

Step 2: Download the plugin

Get plugins from the official catalog at umod.org. Find the plugin, open its page, and download the .cs file. That single file *is* the plugin — there's no installer or archive to unpack.

Only download from trusted sources. A plugin is executable code running with full server permissions, so a malicious .cs file can compromise your box. Stick to umod.org and well-known plugin authors.

Step 3: Drop the file into oxide/plugins

Place the .cs file here:

text server/oxide/plugins/PluginName.cs

On Carbon the path is carbon/plugins/ instead, but the idea is identical: the loader watches this folder and compiles anything you add. As soon as the file lands, the loader picks it up and compiles it — usually within a second or two. Watch the server console for a confirmation line like:

text [Oxide] Loaded plugin PluginName v1.2.3 by Author

If you see a compile error instead, the file is corrupt or the plugin version doesn't match your Rust build. Grab the current version and try again.

Step 4: Configure it

Most plugins generate a config file on first load at:

text server/oxide/config/PluginName.json

Edit that JSON to set rates, permissions, and options. Many plugins also use a permissions system — grant a group access with console commands like:

text oxide.grant group default pluginname.use oxide.grant group admin pluginname.admin

Save your changes, then reload the plugin so it reads the new config.

Step 5: Reload or restart

You don't need a full server restart to apply changes. Use the console:

text oxide.reload PluginName

Carbon uses c.reload PluginName. A reload recompiles the file and re-reads its config live. Do a full restart only after a major Rust update, when the loader itself needs refreshing.

Common pitfalls

• Plugin won't load after a Rust update — Oxide/Carbon and plugins must match the current game build. Update the loader first, then the plugins.
• Config changes ignored — you edited the JSON but forgot to reload. Run the reload command.
• Permission denied for players — the plugin uses permissions; grant the right group with oxide.grant.
• Never edit .cs files by hand unless you know C#. Configure through the JSON, not the source.

The one-click way on Nxeon

Steps 2 through 5 collapse into a single button with our Mods manager. On Rust server hosting, open the Mods tab, search a plugin, and click install. The panel fetches the current .cs from umod, drops it into oxide/plugins (or Carbon's folder), reloads it, and surfaces the config file in an editor — no FTP, no console commands, no downtime.

Want to see it in action? Launch a server from our game servers lineup and install your first plugin in under a minute. For a curated list of what to install, see our roundup of the best Rust plugins for 2026.