Does my Rust server end up in a different server list because of plugins?

Yes. If your server runs gameplay-changing plugins via Oxide or Carbon, it belongs in the Modded category of the server browser instead of Community. That means a different audience: players who deliberately look for modded servers.

What is the difference between Oxide and Carbon?

Oxide (uMod) is the classic modding framework with the largest plugin selection and the most documentation. Carbon is a more modern alternative that is largely compatible with Oxide plugins and focuses on better performance. Pick one; they do not run side by side.

Why do my plugins stop working after a forced wipe?

On forced wipe day Rust itself gets an update, and after that your modding framework needs to be updated too before plugins load again. Update the server first, then Oxide or Carbon, and then check in the console whether all plugins compile.

How much RAM does a modded Rust server need?

Count on around 8 GB for Rust either way; plugins add a scoop on top, especially as their number grows. At MC-Node you start with Rust hosting from € 12.00 per month and everything is cancellable monthly, so scaling up is always possible.

// Rust

Modding your Rust server with Oxide and Carbon: installing plugins

24 August 2026 · 4 min read

A vanilla Rust server is exactly that: Rust the way Facepunch intended it. Fine, but chances are you and your players want something slightly different: faster gather rates, kits for new players or simply decent admin tools. For that you mod your server, and in the world of Rust that means choosing between two frameworks: the classic Oxide (uMod) or the more modern Carbon. In this guide we put them side by side, you install your first plugins and set up the permissions to go with them.

Vanilla or modded: choose deliberately

Before you install even a single plugin, you need to know one thing: this changes how your server is found. The Rust server browser sorts servers into categories, and a server with gameplay-changing plugins belongs in the Modded list, not under Community. That is not a demotion, but it is a different audience: whoever wants vanilla or near-vanilla filters Modded out, while whoever is looking for 2x gather and kits looks exactly there. So think first about what kind of server you want to be. A handful of pure admin tools can still fly on a Community server, but the moment you start on rates, kits or teleports, you are a modded server. And that is fine, as long as it is your own choice.

Oxide or Carbon?

Two frameworks compete for your server folder. Oxide, best known through the uMod platform, has been the standard for years: by far the largest plugin selection, the most documentation and an existing forum thread for practically every problem. Carbon is the more modern alternative: it is largely compatible with existing Oxide plugins and focuses on a more modern foundation and better performance.

Which one should you pick? If you are just starting out, Oxide is the safe choice; virtually every tutorial assumes you are running it. If you run a big server and want to squeeze the maximum out of your hardware, Carbon is worth a try. Whatever you choose: choose one. The two frameworks do not run side by side on the same server.

Installing plugins

The installation is refreshingly simple:

Download the plugin as a .cs file from the official plugin site.
Upload it via your panel's file manager or via SFTP to the folder oxide/plugins (for Carbon: carbon/plugins).
The server compiles the plugin automatically; within a few seconds the console shows whether that worked or which error came up.
On first start the plugin creates a configuration file in oxide/config. Adjust it and reload the plugin with oxide.reload PluginNaam; a full restart is not needed.

One warning: only download plugins from the official sources and not from random Discord servers. A plugin is simply code running with your server's privileges, and stolen or tampered plugins are a well-known source of misery.

The categories you will need first

Admin tools. Walking around invisible to catch cheaters, pulling up player info, teleporting. This is the category every server needs, even an otherwise near-vanilla one.
Gather rates. The classic: collecting wood, stone and ore faster. From subtle to fully arcade. Put your rates in your server name, because players search for them.
Kits. Starter packages for new players or fixed gear after a wipe. Dose carefully: overly generous kits wreck the progression that makes Rust exciting in the first place.
Clans and teams. Formal clans with tags and shared friends, especially useful on bigger servers where the built-in team system becomes too limited.

Treat every plugin as a commitment, not a gadget. Everything you install has to be carried through updates, configured and explained to your players. A short list you understand always beats a long list you once copied from somewhere.

Permissions: who may do what

Almost every plugin works with your framework's permissions system. A permission is a text label (like kits.use) that you attach to a player or group; by default the groups default (everyone) and admin exist. In the server console that looks like this:

oxide.grant group default kits.use
oxide.grant user Henk vanish.allow
oxide.usergroup add Henk admin

Which permissions a plugin knows is always in that plugin's documentation. Work with groups instead of individual players wherever possible; that stays manageable as your community grows, and you can see at a glance who has which role.

The forced wipe: your monthly maintenance moment

Every first Thursday of the month Facepunch releases a mandatory update and all servers go through the forced wipe. For you as an admin that means a fixed routine: first update the server itself, then wait until an updated version of Oxide or Carbon is ready and install it. Until then your plugins simply will not load. Afterwards, check in the console whether everything compiles again; after big updates a plugin breaks quite regularly, and then it is a matter of waiting for the author or temporarily running without it. So just put that Thursday evening in your calendar, and combine it with your normal wipe rhythm. We wrote a separate article about that rhythm earlier.

Performance: less is more

Every plugin hooks into events in the game: a player chopping, a chest opening, a bullet hitting. One badly written plugin in such a path can noticeably drag down your server's framerate, and twenty mediocre plugins together will too. So start with a handful of essential plugins and add new ones one at a time, so you immediately see which one causes a problem. Remove what you no longer use. And do not fool yourself on memory: Rust is a heavy server even bare, and plugins add a scoop on top. At MC-Node your Rust server runs from € 12.00 per month on our own hardware with NVMe storage in the Previder data center in Hengelo, including DDoS protection and cancellable monthly, with enough headroom to grow along with your plugin list. Check the options in the Rust store.