--- title: "Install RocketMod and OpenMod on Unturned" description: "Install RocketMod (LDM) or OpenMod on your Unturned server, add plugins, set permissions, and run both frameworks side by side rather than choosing." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/how-to-install-rocketmod-plugins-for-unturned/" category: "Unturned" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/unturned/" published: "2026-07-03T22:45:20.173Z" updated: "2026-08-07T20:33:27.363Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # Install RocketMod and OpenMod on Unturned Unturned's plugin ecosystem runs on two frameworks. RocketMod — often written Rocket Mod — is the original and still has the largest plugin catalogue; OpenMod is the modern successor built by one of RocketMod's original maintainers. Most guides present these as a fork in the road. They are not — OpenMod is explicitly designed to run alongside RocketMod, and understanding that saves a lot of wasted migration effort. ## RocketMod and OpenMod are not mutually exclusive Smartly Dressed Games' own documentation is direct about it: *"OpenMod can be installed side-by-side with RocketMod, so you can use both RocketMod and OpenMod without any issue. OpenMod does not aim to replace RocketMod but to work with it together instead."* OpenMod integrates with RocketMod rather than displacing it, and can load existing Rocket plugins. In practice that means: - Running RocketMod alone is fine, and gets you the biggest plugin library. - Running OpenMod alone is fine, and gets you better dependency handling. - Running both is supported, and is how you use a modern OpenMod plugin next to a Rocket-only one that nobody has ported. > [!NOTE] What changed with RocketMod > The original RocketMod team stopped maintenance in December 2019 and released the source under the MIT license. SDG forked it and maintains it as **Legally Distinct Missile** (LDM), kept in sync with the game. When current documentation says "Rocket", it means LDM. The fork fixed long-standing issues including multithreading exceptions and teleportation exploits, so there is no reason to hunt down the abandoned original. ## Choosing a framework for your Unturned server | | RocketMod (LDM) | OpenMod | |---|---|---| | **Plugin catalogue** | Largest, but much of it is legacy | Smaller, actively developed | | **Install method** | Ships with the dedicated server | NuGet-based, self-updating | | **Config format** | XML per plugin | YAML per plugin | | **Dependencies** | Manual — you find and place the DLLs | Resolved automatically | | **Best for** | Established plugins with no modern equivalent | New servers, actively maintained plugins | If you are starting fresh and the plugins you want exist for OpenMod, start there. If you need a specific legacy plugin, RocketMod is the shortest path. ## Installing RocketMod on Unturned On your [hosted Unturned server](/games/unturned-server-hosting/), RocketMod is selected from the modding framework field in your panel's **Startup** tab. Set it, save, and restart — the installation happens on boot. Confirm it loaded by watching the **Console** tab as the server starts. You are looking for a line like: ```text Loading Rocket.Unturned: vX.X.X ``` You can also run the `Modules` command at any time to list what actually loaded, which is more reliable than assuming. > [!TIP] `Modules` is the fastest way to diagnose a framework problem > If a plugin is not responding, check whether the framework loaded at all before troubleshooting the plugin. See [Unturned Server Commands and Cheat Codes](/knowledge-base/unturned/unturned-server-command-list/) for the full command reference. If you are running a dedicated server yourself rather than on a panel, the server already includes the current version: copy the `Rocket.Unturned` module from the game's `Extras` directory into its `Modules` directory. No download required. ### Installing RocketMod plugins for Unturned Rocket plugins live one folder deep, per plugin: ```text Servers//Rocket/Plugins// ``` Each folder contains the plugin's `.dll`, a `Configuration.xml`, and usually a `Translations.en.xml`. To install one: 1. Upload the plugin folder via the **File Manager** or SFTP — see [How to Upload Files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/). 2. Restart the server so Rocket loads the assembly. 3. Edit that plugin's `Configuration.xml` and restart again to apply settings. The `Configuration.xml` is generated on first load, so if you upload a bare `.dll` and want to configure it, start the server once to let the file appear rather than writing it by hand. > [!IMPORTANT] Folder names are case-sensitive on Linux > GSK's Unturned servers run on Linux, where `Plugins/Uconomy/` and `Plugins/uconomy/` are different paths. A plugin that "does nothing" with no error in the console is very often a folder whose name does not match the `.dll` inside it. Windows hosts silently tolerate this; Linux does not. ### Permissions Rocket's permissions live in `Rocket/Permissions.config.xml`. Groups map Steam IDs to sets of allowed commands. A player with no group gets the default group's permissions, and being a server admin via `Adminlist.dat` is separate from having Rocket permissions — the two systems do not know about each other. ## Installing OpenMod The recommended route goes through RocketMod, which is another reason not to think of them as alternatives: 1. Download the current **OpenMod Installer Plugin for RocketMod** from the `OpenMod.Installer.RocketMod` releases page on GitHub. 2. Place it in `Rocket/Plugins/` and restart. 3. Run `/openmod install` and follow the prompts. To install manually instead, download `OpenMod.Unturned.Module-vX.X.X.zip` from the OpenMod releases page and copy the `OpenMod.Unturned` folder into the server's `Modules` directory. The first start after that takes noticeably longer while OpenMod fetches its core components — this is normal, not a hang. ### Installing OpenMod plugins OpenMod resolves plugins and their dependencies through NuGet, from the console: ```text openmod install OpenMod.Economy openmod search permission ``` Configuration is YAML, one folder per plugin, under: ```text Servers//openmod/ ``` Because OpenMod pulls dependencies itself, the "upload three DLLs and hope" problem that Rocket plugins have largely disappears. ## Plugins worth knowing about The Rocket catalogue is long and much of it is unmaintained. These are the ones that still come up constantly: - **uEssentials** — the all-in-one quality-of-life set: `/home`, `/tpa`, `/kit`, `/warp` and a great deal more. If you are installing one plugin, it is usually this. - **Uconomy** — the standard currency backend that most shop and reward plugins expect. Needs a MySQL database; see [How to Create a Database via Your Panel](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-database-via-your-panel/). - **Kits** — dedicated kit management if you do not want all of uEssentials. - **ZaupShop** — a shop front that pairs with Uconomy. > [!WARNING] Check the last update date before installing anything > A large share of the Rocket plugin catalogue was abandoned around the 2019 handover and has not been rebuilt since. A plugin that has not been touched in six years may still work, but it is also the most likely thing to break your server after a game update. Prefer plugins with recent activity, and take a backup before adding any of them. ## RCON **Unturned has no built-in RCON protocol.** There is no `rcon.port`/`rcon.password` pair as in Rust, and no vanilla remote console to connect RustAdmin-style tools to. What exists instead: - **The panel Console.** On a hosted server this is your remote console — it is the same command input the dedicated server window would give you, reachable from anywhere you can log in. For almost every server this is the whole answer. - **Command IO, for module developers.** Smartly Dressed Games exposes an `ICommandInputOutput` interface that a module can implement to redirect console input and output to an external process. It is an extension point for writing your own integration, not a feature you enable. - **Legacy RocketMod RCON.** Older guides describe enabling RCON through RocketMod. That tooling dates from before the original RocketMod team stopped maintenance in December 2019 and should not be relied on for a live server. > [!NOTE] Looking for remote admin without RCON? > Use the panel Console for commands, sub-user accounts to delegate access without sharing your login, and a Discord plugin if you want in-Discord control. See [How to Add Sub-Users to Your Panel](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-add-sub-users-to-your-panel/). ## Troubleshooting **The framework does not appear in the console.** It never loaded. Check the Startup tab selection saved, and confirm with `Modules`. **A plugin loads but its commands do nothing.** Almost always permissions. Check `Rocket/Permissions.config.xml` for Rocket plugins, or the OpenMod permission set, and remember that server admin status is a separate system. **A plugin throws errors on every start.** Missing dependency. Rocket does not resolve these for you — read the plugin's documentation for what else it needs and place those DLLs too. **Everything broke after an update.** Unturned updates can invalidate compiled plugins. Restore your most recent backup, then reintroduce plugins one at a time to find the culprit. ## What to read next - [How to configure your Unturned server](/knowledge-base/unturned/configuration-overview/) — the admin and config setup most plugins build on - [Unturned Workshop Mods and How to Change Maps](/knowledge-base/unturned/how-to-install-unturned-workshop-mods/) — workshop content is separate from plugins and installs differently - [Managing your Unturned server](/knowledge-base/unturned/maintenance/) — backups before plugin changes ## FAQ ### Should I use RocketMod or OpenMod? Either, or both. They are designed to coexist. Choose OpenMod for new servers and actively maintained plugins, RocketMod when you need a legacy plugin with no modern equivalent, and both when you need one of each. ### Where do RocketMod plugins go? `Servers//Rocket/Plugins//`, one folder per plugin, containing the `.dll` and its config. Restart after uploading. ### Why is my plugin not loading on Linux? Most often the folder name does not exactly match the `.dll` name, including capitalisation. Linux paths are case-sensitive and the mismatch fails silently. ### Are workshop mods the same as plugins? No. Workshop content is game content — maps, items, vehicles — installed through `WorkshopDownloadConfig.json`. Plugins are server-side code that adds commands and behaviour. They are configured in completely different places. ### Do plugins work on a vanilla server? No. Plugins need RocketMod or OpenMod loaded. A server with neither will ignore them entirely. --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings