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Field Value
Document ID rust-carbon-vs-oxide
Version 1.0.0
Status frozen
Confidence Medium
Category Modding & Plugins
Region Global
Game build checked Livestock (1 Oct 2026); Oxide.Rust 2.0.7810; Carbon Production Build v2.0.262
Owner Rust KB Research Pipeline
Created 2026-10-08
Updated 2026-10-08
Review due 2026-11-08

Executive Summary

This document compares the two live Rust server frameworks, Oxide (uMod) and Carbon, on licence, installation, Oxide-plugin compatibility, performance claims, tags, maintenance status and release cadence. It goes deeper than the foundation document and uses only first-party pages: project sites, GitHub repositories, the GitHub release and repository APIs, and the Facepunch wiki.

Headline findings as of 2026-10-08: both repositories are unarchived and were pushed to within the last day or so of the check [11][12]; Oxide.Rust is MIT-licensed and Carbon's repository is GPL-3.0, although Carbon's own website says MIT [1][3][6][14]; all performance and compatibility advantages are vendor claims with no benchmark on any page opened [1][3][9]. Confidence is Medium: facts are primary-sourced, but Oxide's own install guide could not be opened and no independent benchmark exists in the sources.

Key Facts

  • Oxide.Rust's repository licence is MIT (GitHub API spdx id MIT) [6][12]. Carbon's repository licence is GPL-3.0 (API and LICENSE file) [1][11][14].
  • Carbon's website says "Released under the MIT License", which contradicts the repository's GPL-3.0 licence file; this is unresolved [3][14].
  • The two cannot run on the same install: Oxide ships pre-patched Facepunch DLLs while Carbon patches DLLs at runtime, so vanilla DLLs must be restored before migrating [5].
  • Carbon's migration page says Oxide o. commands become c., and that config, data, lang and user/group files are copied automatically on first start [5].
  • Oxide shipped 12 releases between 2026-08-28 and 2026-10-07 (the 12 newest returned by the API) and several are labelled as patches for named Rust updates or hotfixes [7].
  • Carbon's README says its production build "gets updated twice times a month" (vendor claim); its release list holds one rolling production tag, published 2026-10-02 [1][2].
  • Facepunch's wiki lists Oxide (code o) and Carbon (code y) as separate server browser tags [10].
  • No opened page contains a measured benchmark comparing the two (assessed: absence of evidence in these sources only) [1][3][9].

Scope

Covered: Oxide.Rust and Carbon on PC Rust dedicated servers, as of Rust's Livestock update (1 Oct 2026) and the framework versions named above. Not covered: plugin development (see rust-plugin-development-hooks), individual plugins, permission command syntax (see rust-modding-plugins-foundation), console, client-side modding. Install steps are summarised from the pages that could be opened; Oxide's own install guide URL returned 404.

Definitions

  • Oxide / uMod: the long-running Rust modding framework; the Oxide.Rust repository is the "Rust game extension for the Oxide modding framework" [6].
  • Carbon: an alternative framework describing itself as a drop-in Oxide replacement [3].
  • Harmony: the C# runtime patching library both frameworks list as supported (Harmony 2.0) [5].
  • Dynamic hook loading: Carbon's stated behaviour of activating only the hooks plugins use [3][5].
  • Rolling release tag: a GitHub release whose tag name stays fixed (for example production_build) while its contents are replaced, so tag history does not show cadence [2].

Core Mechanics

Installation, Oxide. Per the Facepunch wiki: download the latest Oxide installer from the Oxide website, stop the server, run the installer, start the server; the oxide console command then opens the Oxide console where plugins and Oxide updates are managed [8]. Oxide's documentation home points to Server Owners and Core Documentation sections, but this check did not read an install guide [13].

Installation, Carbon (Windows). Download Carbon.Windows.TARGET.zip from the GitHub Releases page, extract it to the server root containing RustDedicated.exe keeping the folder structure and overwriting as needed, then start the server; TARGET is Release or Debug depending on the build branch [4]. The page asks that server files be verified and the server kept up to date at every boot [4]. The repository also mentions a quick-start script for Windows and Linux [1]. Linux and OSX tabs exist but their content was not captured [4].

Compatibility. Carbon states it is fully compatible with Oxide and keeps the folder and plugin structure [1][3]. Its porting page states the two cannot coexist, that Oxide's pre-patched DLLs must be replaced with vanilla ones through a SteamCMD validate before Carbon is extracted, and that both use Harmony 2.0 [5]. The Facepunch wiki's Carbon page repeats that Oxide plugins run without extra patches, but the page is undated ("Updated: A Long Time Ago") and carries no version numbers [9].

Performance claims (vendor claims, not measurements). Carbon's site says performance is "the number one factor", hooks load dynamically so only used hooks are active, and only essential hooks are provided [3]. The README says it uses the latest C# and Harmony "for the best performance and stability possible" [1]. The Facepunch wiki Carbon page claims Harmony micro-optimisations reduce CPU overhead and memory allocations [9]. None of these pages gives a benchmark or measured result [1][3][9]. No comparable performance claim for Oxide was found on the pages opened [6][8][13].

Features Carbon claims over Oxide. Carbon's porting page tabulates dynamic patching, self-updating, remote hook updates on boot, a built-in profiler, SQLite permissions and "regular updates" as Carbon-only, with Harmony 2.0 and "regularly maintained" shared [5]. This table is Carbon's own, so the Oxide column is a competitor's statement; the "regular updates" row is contradicted for Oxide by its release history below [5][7].

Reference Data

Side by side, checked 2026-10-08 (all rows from first-party pages):

Item Oxide.Rust Carbon
Repository licence (API) MIT [12] GPL-3.0 [11]
Licence per project website Not read (uMod pages returned 403) "Released under the MIT License" [3]
Licence file MIT text, copyright 2013-2020 Oxide Team and Contributors [6] GNU GPL version 3 [14]
Repo created 2017-06-17 [12] 2022-08-27 [11]
Last push seen 2026-10-07T09:50:58Z [12] 2026-10-07T23:32:45Z [11]
Archived No [12] No [11]
Stars / open issues (API) 387 / 8 [12] 105 / 1 [11]
Default branch develop [12] main [11]
Install Installer from Oxide website [8] Zip from GitHub Releases into server root [4]
Console command prefix o. [5] c. [5]
Server browser tag / code Oxide / o [10] Carbon / y [10]
GitHub topics modding, oxide, playrust, rust, steam, unity, unity3d [6] framework, game-modding, harmony, oxide, oxidemod, platform, rust-modding [1]

Latest releases seen 2026-10-08:

Framework Release Published (UTC) Pre-release flag Note
Oxide.Rust 2.0.7810 2026-10-07 09:50 No No itemised changes [7]
Oxide.Rust 2.0.7801 2026-10-02 22:18 No Patches an October 2nd Rust hotfix; adds NPC-targeting hook for wildlife and boat AI [7]
Oxide.Rust 2.0.7783 2026-10-01 17:33 No Patches the October 1st Rust update [7]
Carbon Production Build v2.0.262 2026-10-02 09:09 No Stable build from production [2]
Carbon Edge Build v2.1.1285 2026-10-03 18:21 Yes Dev build from main [2]
Carbon Rust (Release) Build v2.4.341 2026-10-03 11:09 Yes Manual, unstable dev build [2]
Carbon Rust (Staging) Build v2.3.1481 2026-10-07 23:32 Yes Manual, unstable dev build [2]

Carbon branch model, from its README: main (edge build updated on every commit), experimental (synced with main, updated manually and rarely), production (live release branch, stated to update twice a month excluding hotfixes), rust_beta/staging (tracks Rust staging, mostly for hooks), rust_beta/aux01 and aux02 (minimal support, "extremely unstable") [1].

Version & Patch Notes

  • Observed Oxide cadence: the 12 newest releases span 2026-08-28 (2.0.7638) to 2026-10-07 (2.0.7810), about 40 days, including 2.0.7676 (3 Sept, patching a September 3rd Rust update), 2.0.7716 (11 Sept), 2.0.7723 (17 Sept), 2.0.7726 (22 Sept), 2.0.7783 (1 Oct) and 2.0.7801 (2 Oct) [7]. Several release bodies name the Rust update or hotfix they patch, so Oxide ships a framework release to follow Rust updates [7].
  • Observed Carbon cadence: the release list holds rolling tags (production_build, edge_build, experimental_build, rustbeta_*), so release frequency cannot be read from the tags; the experimental build was last published 2026-08-22 and aux01 on 2026-09-15 [2]. The README's "twice times a month" production cadence is a claim and was not verified against history [1]. The list returned was truncated after six releases, so more may exist [2].
  • Carbon's production release (2 Oct) and Oxide's patches (1-2 Oct) both landed within a day or two of the Livestock update of 1 Oct 2026 [2][7]; Carbon's production body does not state a Rust build in the data read, unlike Oxide's [2][7].
  • Volatile: every version number in this document changes at least monthly; re-check before relying on it.

Common Pitfalls

  • Treating the two as installable together: the porting page says running both breaks the server [5].
  • Skipping the DLL restore when moving from Oxide to Carbon; vanilla DLLs must be restored with a SteamCMD validate first [5].
  • Forgetting to change o. commands to c. in scripts and automation [5].
  • Assuming "MIT" for Carbon from its website; the repository licence file is GPL-3.0, which has different redistribution obligations [3][14].
  • Quoting Carbon's feature table as neutral: it is the vendor's own comparison [5].
  • Relying on the Facepunch wiki Carbon page for current behaviour: it is undated and carries no versions [9].
  • Using several tags from the same group: the wiki advises against specifying multiple tags from the same group on one server [10].

Interactions & Related Systems

Both frameworks sit under the plugin layer covered in rust-plugin-development-hooks and the admin layer in rust-server-administration-foundation and rust-server-convars-reference (the server.tags convar sets the browser tag). Framework updates follow Rust releases tracked in rust-update-timeline-2026 and rust-updates-meta-foundation. New Rust systems gain hooks through framework releases; for example Oxide 2.0.7783 added livestock and growable-entity hooks after the 1 October update, relevant to rust-farming-food [7]. See rust-modding-plugins-foundation for permissions and plugin sourcing, and rust-moderation-anti-cheat for related server policy.

Assessed Guidance

Guidance 1 — Decide on licence obligations from the repository, not the website

  • Guidance: If you redistribute or modify framework code, treat Carbon as GPL-3.0 (the repository and LICENSE file) and Oxide.Rust as MIT, and ask the Carbon maintainers about the website's MIT statement.
  • Evidence basis: Repository API and LICENSE file versus website text [3][11][12][14].
  • Confidence: Medium. The sources conflict and this document is not legal advice.
  • So what: Hosting plugins on a server rarely involves redistributing the framework, but anyone bundling or forking it should resolve the conflict first.

Guidance 2 — Treat performance claims as untested until measured on your own server

  • Guidance: Do not choose Carbon for speed on the strength of its pages; run both on a staging copy of your plugin set and compare server frame time and memory.
  • Evidence basis: Only vendor statements, with no benchmark in the opened pages [1][3][9].
  • Confidence: Medium. The absence of benchmarks in the sources read is verifiable, but a benchmark may exist elsewhere.
  • So what: Avoid a migration justified only by marketing copy.

Guidance 3 — Plan migration as a rehearsed change with a rollback

  • Guidance: Back up the server, rehearse the Oxide-to-Carbon move, keep the Oxide install copy, and update scripts from o. to c..
  • Evidence basis: Porting page steps and no-coexistence statement [5].
  • Confidence: Medium. The steps are first-party, but the rollback advice is inference.
  • So what: A failed first start leaves you able to restore the previous state before wipe day.

Guidance 4 — Gate Rust updates on the framework release in either case

  • Guidance: After each monthly Rust update, wait for the matching framework release (Oxide notes name the Rust update; for Carbon check the production build date) before updating the live server.
  • Evidence basis: Oxide release notes naming Rust updates [7]; Carbon's production release dated within a day of Livestock [2].
  • Confidence: Medium. Two observed release windows only.
  • So what: Fewer broken hooks after a wipe-day update.

Open Questions

  • Which licence is correct for Carbon: the website says MIT, the repository says GPL-3.0 [3][14]. Resolution needs a statement from the Carbon maintainers.
  • Real performance difference: no independent benchmark was found. A reproducible test on one plugin set would resolve it.
  • Carbon production cadence: the README says twice a month, but rolling tags hide history; commit or workflow history would resolve it [1][2].
  • Oxide's own install guide and the uMod site (403) were not read, so uMod licence and plugin-policy statements are unverified [13].
  • Carbon's total release count: the API page read was truncated [2].
  • Which Rust build Carbon v2.0.262 targets is not stated in the data read [2].

References

Primary Sources

  • [1] CarbonCommunity — Carbon (GitHub repository README). https://github.com/CarbonCommunity/Carbon. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [2] CarbonCommunity — Carbon releases API. https://api.github.com/repos/CarbonCommunity/Carbon/releases?per_page=12. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [3] Carbon — Carbon for Rust (project site). https://carbonmod.gg/. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [4] Carbon — Installing Carbon. https://carbonmod.gg/owners/installing-carbon. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [5] Carbon — Oxide porting (compatibility, migration, feature differences). https://carbonmod.gg/owners/oxide-porting. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [6] OxideMod — Oxide.Rust (GitHub repository). https://github.com/OxideMod/Oxide.Rust. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [7] OxideMod — Oxide.Rust releases API. https://api.github.com/repos/OxideMod/Oxide.Rust/releases?per_page=12. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [8] Facepunch Rust Wiki — Oxide. https://wiki.facepunch.com/rust/oxide. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [9] Facepunch Rust Wiki — Carbon Modding Framework. https://wiki.facepunch.com/rust/Carbon. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [10] Facepunch Rust Wiki — Server Browser Tags. https://wiki.facepunch.com/rust/server-browser-tags. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [11] CarbonCommunity — Carbon repository API metadata. https://api.github.com/repos/CarbonCommunity/Carbon. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [12] OxideMod — Oxide.Rust repository API metadata. https://api.github.com/repos/OxideMod/Oxide.Rust. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [13] Oxide — Oxide documentation home. https://docs.oxidemod.com/. Accessed 2026-10-08.
  • [14] CarbonCommunity — Carbon LICENSE file (GPL-3.0). https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CarbonCommunity/Carbon/main/LICENSE. Accessed 2026-10-08.

Community & Practitioner Evidence

None used; this comparison deliberately relies on first-party pages.

Further Reading

See the Further Reading section below.

Further Reading

  • Carbon owner documentation and hook reference at docs.carbonmod.gg.
  • Oxide Server Owners guides on docs.oxidemod.com.
  • rust-modding-plugins-foundation for permissions and plugin marketplaces.

Related Documents

  • rust-modding-plugins-foundation
  • rust-plugin-development-hooks
  • rust-server-administration-foundation
  • rust-server-convars-reference
  • rust-update-timeline-2026
  • rust-updates-meta-foundation

Revision History

Version Date Author Change Approved By
0.1.0 2026-10-08 Research Pipeline (virtual agent) Initial draft. —
1.0.0 2026-10-08 Orchestrator Frozen after green QA (validate, genre audit, markdownlint, links live). Auto-approve mandate