Installing Plugins

How to install a downloaded plugin on your Minecraft or Rust server.

Before You Start

Make sure you have downloaded the plugin file from Dashboard → My Purchases. You will receive a .zip file — extract it and follow the steps for your server type below.

Minecraft (Paper / Spigot / Fabric)

Paper & Spigot (JAR plugins):

Stop your server.
Copy PluginName.jar into your plugins/ folder.
If the zip includes a config/ folder, copy its contents into plugins/ as well (each plugin typically reads from plugins/PluginName/).
Start your server.

The plugin will generate its default config on first run. Open it and set your license-key if it is not already pre-filled from the license config file.

yaml

# plugins/PluginName/config.yml
license-key: "PULSE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"

Rust Plugins

Oxide or Carbon?

Rust has two common plugin frameworks. Your zip includes folders for both — you only need to copy the one that matches your server:

Oxide (also called uMod) — the original Rust plugin framework. Most servers use Oxide.
Carbon— a newer alternative framework. Check your server host's documentation if you are unsure which one you have.

Obfuscated plugins (most paid plugins)

If the plugin has source protection enabled, your zip contains both framework folders pre-filled with your license key:

txt

Nick-v1.0.0.zip
├── oxide/
│   ├── plugins/
│   │   └── Nick.cs              ← place in [server]/oxide/plugins/
│   └── config/
│       └── Nick.license.json    ← place in [server]/oxide/config/
└── carbon/
    ├── plugins/
    │   └── Nick.cs              ← place in [server]/carbon/plugins/
    └── configs/
        └── Nick.license.json    ← place in [server]/carbon/configs/

You can extract the entire zip directly into your server root — the folder structure matches exactly. Both oxide/ and carbon/ folders are included, so you only need to do this once regardless of your framework.

Note: Oxide uses config/ (singular) and Carbon uses configs/ (plural).

The license config is pre-filled with your key — no manual editing required:

json

{
  "license_key": "PULSE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX"
}

After copying the files, reload the plugin from your server console:

Oxide: oxide.reload Nick
Carbon: c.reload Nick

The plugin reads the pre-filled license key and activates automatically on first load.

Non-obfuscated plugins (free / open-source)

If the plugin has no source protection, your zip contains just the plain .cs file:

txt

Nick-v1.0.0.zip
└── Nick.cs    ← plain .cs source, no license required

Drop it directly into your plugins folder:

Oxide: oxide/plugins/Nick.cs
Carbon: carbon/plugins/Nick.cs

No license file needed. The plugin runs without any activation.

First Activation (Obfuscated Plugins)

When an obfuscated plugin starts with its license key, it contacts the PulsePlugin license server to activate. You will see a confirmation message in the server log:

txt

[PluginName] License activated successfully. Server ID: my-server-001

If activation fails, the log will include the error code. Common causes:

invalid_key — wrong key; double-check for typos
max_activations_reached — all activation slots are used; deactivate an old server first from Dashboard → Licenses
license_revoked — contact support

Re-downloading

If you need the file again, go to Dashboard → My Purchases and click Download. Your unique build is cached — you will receive the exact same file with the same license key. Your existing license config will continue to work without any changes.

You can also find your license keys at any time under Dashboard → Licenses.