Install Oxide/uMod on a Rust server

uMod (formerly Oxide) is Rust’s modding layer. It lets you add plugins in C# without modifying the game. Installation is done by replacing certain server files.

Cause / The problem

Without uMod, the console doesn’t recognize any oxide.* commands and the /oxide/plugins folder doesn’t exist. The .cs plugins can’t be compiled or loaded.

Solution

1. Download uMod for Rust from umod.org/games/rust. Pick the version matching your Rust version (check it in the server console).
2. Stop the server from the Pelican panel.
3. Extract the uMod archive and upload its contents to the server root (next to RustDedicated.exe). The files Oxide.Rust.dll, Oxide.CSharp.dll and the Oxide.References folder must overwrite the existing ones.
4. Start the server. On first launch, uMod automatically creates the /oxide/ folder with the /plugins, /config, /data and /lang subfolders.
5. Verify the installation by typing in the console:

   oxide.version

   The response shows the uMod version (e.g. 2.0.4516). If the command is unknown, Oxide isn’t installed correctly.
6. Install a plugin:
   • Download a .cs file from umod.org.
   • Drop it into /oxide/plugins/.
   • Hot-reload it without restarting:

     oxide.reload PluginName
     oxide.reload *          # reloads all plugins

7. Configure the plugin in /oxide/config/PluginName.json after its first load, then reload it.

After a Rust update, update uMod and your plugins: an outdated version causes compilation errors on startup.