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A Rust server restart needs two separate systems. A uMod/Oxide plugin warns players and performs a graceful shutdown at the scheduled time; an external launcher, service manager, container policy, or hosting panel starts RustDedicated again after it exits. Oxide does not relaunch a stopped process, and a restart plugin cannot provide that second function by itself.
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The reliable setup is therefore: install and configure one restart plugin, verify its countdown messages, then place the server under a supervisor that starts the same executable with the same identity and configuration after every intentional restart or failure.
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Rust server automation has two layers that are often confused:
- In-game scheduling and shutdown: the plugin tracks the configured time, announces the countdown, gives players time to reach safety, saves the world through the normal shutdown path, and exits the server process.
- Process supervision and relaunch: a batch launcher, operating-system service, container restart policy, or hosting control panel notices that
RustDedicatedhas exited and starts it again.
OxideMod documentation states that “The Oxide core provides no built-in functionality to handle automatic server restarts, however the launcher script templates include automatic restart functionality.” Smooth Restarter makes the same boundary explicit: it does not relaunch the server after shutdown and requires an external solution. A plugin can therefore appear to work while the server remains offline if no supervisor is present.
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Keep the responsibilities separate when diagnosing problems. If players receive warnings and the process exits, the plugin side is doing its job. If the process exits but never returns, inspect the launcher or service rather than changing countdown settings.
Requirements before you configure a schedule
- A running Rust dedicated server with Oxide/uMod installed and loading successfully.
- One restart plugin. Do not run two plugins that schedule the same shutdown.
- Administrative access to the F1 console, the server console, or RCON.
- An external process supervisor that can start
RustDedicatedagain after a clean exit. - A maintenance window in which you can watch a complete warning, shutdown, and relaunch cycle.
- A backup of the plugin configuration files and the launcher or service definition.
Use a plugin build compatible with the Rust and Oxide versions currently installed. Plugin names, compatibility, and settings can change, so check the plugin’s current documentation when you install or update it.
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| Capability | Smooth Restarter | Server Restarter |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule format | Daily entries in hh:mm format |
Multiple entries in RestartTimes |
| Warning controls | Configurable countdown start, custom countdown milestones, chat notices, and optional UI | Configurable warning delay and a localized player message |
| Oxide update trigger | Documented option to restart when Oxide is detected as outdated | Not documented on the cited page |
| Relaunch after shutdown | Requires an external launcher or supervisor | Still requires an external launcher or supervisor |
Smooth Restarter
Smooth Restarter is the better fit when you want a detailed countdown. It supports daily hh:mm schedules, lets you decide when the countdown begins, and allows custom milestone points rather than forcing a single warning interval. Notices can be sent in chat, and an optional on-screen UI can be enabled. Its documented Oxide-update option can also trigger a restart when the installed Oxide version is outdated.
Those features affect communication and scheduling only. The plugin still stops the process and depends on a separate relaunch mechanism to bring the server back.
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Server Restarter
Server Restarter is suited to a simpler warning workflow with several restart times. Its configuration includes RestartTimes, a warning delay identified as RestartWarning, and a localized message. The documented default message is:
Message = "Server restart in {0} seconds, get in a safe location."
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The {0} placeholder is replaced by the remaining seconds. You can localize the text for your community while retaining the countdown value. The cited documentation does not describe an Oxide-update trigger for this plugin.
Install and verify the plugin before scheduling a restart
- Install or update Oxide/uMod for the Rust server and start the server normally.
- Place the chosen restart plugin in the server’s plugin location using the installation method documented for that release.
- Watch the server console for the plugin-load confirmation or error. A configuration file is commonly generated in JSON after the first successful load.
- Open the F1 console, server console, or RCON and use the plugin’s documented command or status path to confirm that it is loaded. Commands issued through these interfaces still require the appropriate permissions.
- If the plugin reports a dependency or version error, stop and correct that issue before adding a schedule. A countdown cannot be reliable while the plugin is failing to load.
Do not replace a server extension DLL while the server is running. DLL extensions require a full server stop before replacement, and the replacement must match the Rust and Oxide versions in use. After an update, start the server, confirm that Oxide and the restart plugin load cleanly, and only then restore the schedule.
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Configure Smooth Restarter
- Start the server once with the plugin installed so it creates its JSON configuration.
- Open that configuration and enter each daily restart time in the documented
hh:mmformat. Use the server’s local clock and account for daylight-saving or time-zone changes when choosing the maintenance hour. - Set the point at which the countdown begins. A longer lead time gives players more opportunity to finish an activity and reach a safe location.
- Define the countdown milestones that should be announced. Custom points let you combine an early notice with shorter final warnings without relying on one fixed interval.
- Enable chat notices, the optional UI, or both according to your server’s user interface. Chat is the dependable fallback for players who have UI elements hidden or disabled.
- If you want maintenance tied to Oxide updates, enable the documented option that restarts when the installed Oxide version is outdated. Treat this as an additional trigger, not a replacement for your daily schedule.
- Save the JSON, restart or reload the plugin using the documented administrative procedure, and check the console for JSON syntax or validation errors.
Keep a copy of the working JSON. If a future plugin update changes a setting name, you can compare the newly generated file with the saved version instead of guessing at the format.
Configure Server Restarter
- Load Server Restarter and allow it to generate its JSON configuration.
- Enter every planned maintenance time in
RestartTimes. Several entries allow separate daily windows, such as a primary restart and a second time reserved for maintenance operations. - Set
RestartWarningto the warning delay you want players to receive before shutdown. - Edit the localized warning message if necessary. Preserve the
{0}token so the plugin can insert the remaining seconds; for example, the documented default isServer restart in {0} seconds, get in a safe location. - Save the file, reload the plugin through the documented command or restart the server during a maintenance window, and verify that the configuration is accepted without errors.
Server Restarter handles the warning and shutdown sequence. It does not remove the need for an external relaunch layer.
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The supervisor must start the same server identity every time: the same executable, server directory, ports, map or seed arguments, save location, and environment. If it starts a different command line, the process may return while appearing to be a new or empty server.
Batch launcher
Facepunch’s server guidance documents a launcher pattern that jumps back to a start label after the process exits. The same pattern can be used for both a crash and a clean plugin-triggered shutdown. The guide also documents a restart command for the launcher workflow. The important behavior is the loop: start Rust, wait for it to exit, then reach the start line again.
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Place the launcher in the server’s normal working directory, use the exact startup arguments that already work, and run the launcher rather than launching RustDedicated directly. Avoid an unconditional tight loop that repeatedly starts a process which fails immediately; add the delay or failure handling supported by your operating system and launcher design.
Operating-system service
A service manager can keep the server process under supervision and be configured to restart it when it exits. Confirm that the service account can read the server files, write saves and logs, bind the required ports, and access any environment variables used by the startup command. A service restart policy is not a substitute for the plugin’s player-facing countdown; it only supplies the relaunch half.
Container or hosting panel
Container platforms and managed hosting panels can provide the same supervision without a hand-maintained script. Enable the platform’s restart-on-exit behavior, then verify that it preserves the server’s persistent volume, configuration, identity, and network settings. The panel must restart the actual Rust server process after a graceful exit, not merely restart a monitoring dashboard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Run an end-to-end maintenance test
- Choose a quiet maintenance window and announce it separately to administrators so they can observe the server.
- Temporarily schedule a restart soon enough to watch the complete countdown. Use the plugin’s normal configuration path rather than manually killing the process.
- Join as a player and verify that the expected chat notices appear at each configured milestone. If UI notices are enabled, confirm that they are visible without relying on them as the only warning channel.
- At the final warning, place a test character somewhere safe and watch for the normal save and graceful exit behavior.
- Confirm in the server console or service logs that
RustDedicatedactually stopped. - Confirm that the external supervisor starts the same command again and that the server listens on the expected ports.
- Reconnect and verify the expected map, save, player identity, plugins, and configuration. A successful process launch that points to the wrong save directory is an operational failure.
- Restore the intended production schedule and record the tested launcher or service settings.
This test should be repeated after changing the plugin, Rust server, Oxide/uMod, launcher, container image, or hosting configuration.
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Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The server shuts down but never starts again
This is the classic architecture mistake. Check whether the server was launched directly instead of through the batch file, service, container policy, or hosting panel. Inspect the supervisor’s exit and restart logs, verify that restart-on-exit is enabled, and confirm that the supervisor account can execute the startup command. If the launcher relies on a loop, make sure the process reaches the documented goto start path after a clean exit.
No countdown appears
- Check that the plugin loaded without errors after the last server start.
- Confirm the configured time uses the required daily
hh:mmformat or, for Server Restarter, that the value is inRestartTimes. - Check the server’s local time and time zone rather than the administrator’s desktop clock.
- Verify that chat or UI notices were not disabled in the configuration.
- Use the F1 console, server console, or RCON to inspect plugin status and command errors. Administrative commands still need the permissions required by Oxide.
The plugin fails after an update
Rust and Oxide updates can make an older DLL extension or plugin incompatible. Stop the server before replacing a DLL, install a build that matches the current Rust/Oxide versions, and start the server while watching the load log. Do not assume that a previously valid JSON file remains valid if the plugin release changes its settings; let the new version generate its configuration when necessary, then reapply the documented values.
Warnings appear, but the process does not exit
Review the plugin log for shutdown errors and check whether another plugin or administrative process is blocking the normal shutdown. Confirm that only one restart plugin is scheduling the event. A supervisor cannot relaunch a process that never exits, so resolve the shutdown error before changing the relaunch policy.
The server restarts with the wrong world or settings
Compare the supervisor’s startup command with the command used for a manual launch. Check the working directory, save path, map or seed arguments, ports, and environment variables. Persistent storage must be mounted at the same location after every restart when using a container or hosting panel.
Players miss the final warning
Use more than one channel when the plugin supports it: chat notices plus the optional UI in Smooth Restarter, or a clearly localized Server Restarter message. Set milestones that leave enough time for players to stop combat, leave hazardous areas, and log out safely. The supervisor’s restart policy cannot compensate for a countdown that begins too late.
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Operating practices that prevent avoidable outages
- Schedule restarts during the lowest-activity period for your community, using the server’s own clock.
- Keep the plugin JSON, launcher script, service definition, and startup arguments in a backed-up administrative location.
- Document which layer is responsible for each symptom: plugin logs for warnings and shutdown, supervisor logs for relaunch, and Rust/Oxide logs for compatibility.
- After every Rust or Oxide update, verify plugin loading and run a short controlled restart before returning to the regular schedule.
- Use the optional Oxide-update trigger in Smooth Restarter only if an automatic maintenance restart fits your community’s policy; unexpected update-driven restarts should still be announced to administrators.
- Do not treat a process that is merely running as proof of recovery. Confirm the correct save, identity, plugins, ports, and player reconnect behavior.
Bottom line
Install one uMod/Oxide restart plugin for schedules and in-game countdowns, then run RustDedicated under a separate supervisor that relaunches it after exit. Smooth Restarter offers the most flexible countdown and UI controls, while Server Restarter provides multiple restart times with a configurable warning message. Neither plugin can restart the operating-system process on its own, so the launcher, service, container policy, or hosting panel is the component that completes the automation.
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