How to Make a FiveM Server: Step-by-Step Setup Guide

You can make a FiveM server on a Windows or Linux computer with the official FXServer artifact and txAdmin, without downloading a separate control panel. The quickest beginner route is: download the recommended server build, launch FXServer, pair txAdmin with your Cfx account, deploy the FiveM Basic Server (CFX Default) recipe, add a server key from the Cfx Portal, and choose Save and Run Server. You can then connect from the FiveM client on the same LAN. Making the server visible to friends over the internet requires a reachable public address, port forwarding and firewall rules, or a managed game-server host.

What do you need before making a FiveM server?

FXServer is the dedicated-server software. It runs on a computer you control, while the FiveM client is the game application players use to join. Download the server artifact from the official FiveM server setup guide; use the latest recommended build shown there rather than an old archive.

• A Windows or Linux computer that can stay online while players connect.
• A dedicated folder for the extracted server artifact and a separate data folder if you use the manual (vanilla) method.
• A Cfx account for txAdmin pairing and server-key registration.
• A desktop gaming PC for FiveM server hosting if you are self-hosting. The official documentation does not publish a fixed CPU, RAM, bandwidth or player-count specification for a dedicated server, so capacity depends on your resources, scripts, player count, network and operating system.
• For the client itself, Cfx lists 8 GB RAM minimum (4 GB may work) and 16 GB recommended. Those figures describe running FiveM, not a guaranteed server-hosting requirement; see the official system requirements.

Decide whether the server is only for local testing or for internet players. Local testing can use the LAN connection option in FiveM. A public server needs an address reachable from outside your home network and correctly configured TCP/UDP endpoints, commonly port 30120 in the sample configuration.

How do you set up a FiveM server with txAdmin?

txAdmin is bundled with FXServer, so there is no separate txAdmin download. This path is the recommended beginner workflow because the web interface handles account linking, recipe deployment and starting the server. The steps below follow Cfx.re’s setup instructions and txAdmin documentation.

1. Download and extract the server artifact

1. Open the official Server Download page.
2. Download the latest recommended server artifact for your operating system.
3. Extract the archive into a dedicated folder such as C:FXServer on Windows or a clearly named directory on Linux. Avoid burying it in a temporary Downloads folder that may be cleaned or moved.

The artifact contains the executable and files required to run FXServer. Keep write access to the folder because txAdmin will create configuration and deployed resource data.

2. Launch FXServer and open txAdmin

Start FXServer from the extracted directory. On a normal launch, a browser window opens txAdmin automatically. If it does not, open http://localhost:40120 manually; port 40120 is txAdmin’s documented local web address.

Leave the FXServer console running while you complete setup. Closing that process stops the server, even if the browser page remains open.

3. Pair txAdmin with your Cfx account

1. Read the PIN displayed in the FXServer console and enter it in txAdmin.
2. Sign in and link your Cfx account when prompted.
3. Create the administrator password for txAdmin. Store it in a password manager; it controls the server panel.
4. Accept the agreements shown by the setup wizard and register the server.

The pairing PIN is displayed by your own console and is not a universal code. If the page is unreachable, confirm FXServer is still running and that you are opening the local address on the same computer.

4. Select the default recipe

1. Enter a server name in the initial configuration screen.
2. Choose Popular Recipes.
3. Select FiveM Basic Server (CFX Default).
4. Keep the suggested data location unless you have a specific reason to place server data on another disk.
5. Open the Recipe Deployer.

A recipe is a guided set of files and resources. The basic recipe gives you a clean baseline before you add scripts, maps or other resources.

5. Create and enter the server key

1. Open the Cfx Portal from the link supplied in txAdmin and register a new server.
2. Generate a server key for that registration.
3. Copy the key into the txAdmin field exactly as issued.
4. Continue the recipe deployment.

Do not publish the key in screenshots, chat or a public repository. If you use the manual configuration route, the equivalent value belongs in server.cfg as sv_licenseKey; the vanilla procedure is documented at Setting Up a Vanilla FXServer.

6. Deploy, save and run

Wait for the Recipe Deployer to finish downloading and writing the selected files. Choose Save and Run Server. At this point the local server is running and ready for customization. Keep both txAdmin and the FXServer process available while testing.

7. Connect from the same computer or LAN

1. Launch the FiveM client.
2. Choose Connect to [ComputerName] on LAN when the local server appears.
3. If it does not appear immediately, restart the client and open the in-game console with F8; enter tx to verify txAdmin connectivity as described in the official setup guide.

This local test confirms that FXServer, the recipe and the client can communicate. It does not prove that someone on the internet can reach your home network.

How do you set up a FiveM server manually on Windows or Linux?

The vanilla method gives you direct control over folders, startup commands and server.cfg, but requires more manual work. Cfx provides separate Windows and Linux instructions in its vanilla FXServer guide.

Platform	Core files and command	Required configuration
Windows	Extract the Windows FXServer build, create a separate server-data directory, then run FXServer.exe +exec server.cfg.	A server.cfg containing the server license key, endpoints, convars and startup commands.
Linux	Use the Linux artifact, install the documented xz/xz-utils package as needed, create server-data, and run run.sh +exec server.cfg.	The same license-key and server settings in server.cfg, with Linux file permissions and paths.

Windows folder layout

Keep the FXServer executable in its artifact directory and put your configuration and resources in the separate server-data directory. Open a command prompt in the data directory and run:

FXServer.exe +exec server.cfg

Use the executable path appropriate to your installation if the command prompt is not already in the FXServer directory.

Linux folder layout

Extract the Linux artifact, install the archive utility named in the official instructions when it is missing, and place server.cfg in server-data. From the data directory, start the server with:

run.sh +exec server.cfg

Make the script executable if your distribution requires it, and use the exact paths from the artifact you downloaded. The vanilla guide covers the extraction and launch arrangement for Linux.

What belongs in server.cfg?

server.cfg is the server’s startup and policy file. It holds the license key, network endpoints, convars and commands that start resources. Begin with the sample configuration from Cfx’s vanilla setup documentation, then change values for your deployment.

• License: set sv_licenseKey to the key generated in the Cfx Portal. Keep the value private.
• Endpoints: the sample uses TCP and UDP endpoints on port 30120. If you change the port, use the same number in your router forwarding rule, firewall rule and connection address.
• Resources: baseline ensure lines start the resources shipped with the recipe. An ensure command starts a resource and attempts to keep it running.
• OneSync: the sample includes OneSync configuration. Retain or adapt it according to the current server documentation and the player population you intend to support.
• Slots: the sample includes a slot setting. The permitted maximum is a platform rule, not simply a hardware choice.

Change one setting at a time and restart the server after edits. A typo in the file can prevent startup or leave a resource stopped; read the console output before changing several lines at once.

How do you add scripts, maps and other resources?

FiveM calls a package of client scripts, server scripts or streaming assets a resource. Resources live under the server’s resources/ directory, and bracketed folders can group several resources. The concepts and layout are described in Introduction to Resources.

Install a resource safely

1. Download the resource from its legitimate distribution page and read its documentation for dependencies, configuration and supported server versions.
2. Extract the resource folder under resources/. Keep the folder that contains the manifest at the top level; do not leave it nested inside an extra archive-name folder unless the documentation expects that.
3. Confirm the folder contains fxmanifest.lua. Older resources may contain __resource.lua, but that manifest format is deprecated.
4. Open the manifest and documentation to identify required files, exports or dependent resources.
5. Add ensure resource-folder-name (or the documented start command) to server.cfg, or start it through txAdmin.
6. Restart or reload as directed, then inspect the FXServer console for missing dependencies or script errors.

The manifest declares metadata and the files or scripts that should run. A resource that is copied into the wrong directory, lacks a manifest or is started before its dependency will not work simply because its folder exists.

Use categories for a large resource collection

You can group related resources in category folders such as [cars] or [jobs]. The category folder helps organize files; the resource’s own folder and manifest still determine what is started. Follow the resource author’s required name in the ensure line.

How can friends connect over the internet?

A server that works through the LAN option may still be invisible outside your home. Internet access normally requires forwarding the server’s configured TCP and UDP port from your router to the hosting computer, allowing that port through the computer’s firewall, and giving friends the correct public address.

1. Confirm the endpoint port in server.cfg; the official examples use 30120.
2. Assign the hosting computer a stable local address, such as a DHCP reservation, so the router rule does not point to a changing device.
3. Create router port-forwarding rules for the required TCP and UDP traffic to that local address.
4. Create matching inbound firewall rules on Windows or Linux.
5. Start FXServer and test from outside your home network with FiveM’s Direct Connect format: connect IP:Port.
6. Check the server’s info.json response and the console for errors. Cfx’s server troubleshooting guide uses these checks for listing and connection problems.

A failed direct connection commonly indicates an incorrect forward, a blocked firewall port, the wrong public IP or a server that is not listening on the selected endpoint. Testing from a phone hotspot or asking a friend to connect avoids a misleading success caused by local-network routing.

Why is my FiveM server not visible to friends?

Work through the network path in order instead of repeatedly restarting the client.

• Local test fails: verify FXServer is running, txAdmin completed deployment, the recipe has no startup errors and the client is using the LAN option.
• Local test succeeds but Direct Connect fails: check the router’s TCP and UDP forwarding target, the host firewall and the port number in both the configuration and connection command.
• Direct Connect works but the list does not: use Direct Connect as the immediate workaround, inspect info.json, and review console output for listing or heartbeat errors.
• Friends reach the address but are rejected: check that the server key is valid, required resources started, and the server is not at its configured slot limit.
• Address changes: update friends with the current public IP or use a stable hostname service you control; the FiveM server itself cannot make a private address globally routable.

Cfx’s troubleshooting page is the authoritative place to compare your symptoms with current connection and listing checks: Server Issues.

How many players can a FiveM server support?

There is no universal capacity number in the setup documentation. Actual capacity varies with scripts, streaming assets, player behavior, OneSync settings, CPU performance, available memory, network quality and the hosting environment. Treat any fixed player promise as a claim that must be measured for a particular build, not as a guarantee from the basic recipe.

Cfx currently states that using more than 48 slots requires Element Club Argentum or above. This is a changeable platform rule; verify the current requirement in the official hosting and server documentation before increasing slots. A larger slot value also increases the need to profile resource performance and network behavior.

Should you self-host or use a managed FiveM host?

Self-hosting gives you direct control over files, updates and network policy. A managed game-server provider is the fastest and easiest setup path when you do not want to configure a router, maintain an always-on machine or handle infrastructure troubleshooting. Cfx maintains an authorized-partner category, but the official documentation does not establish prices or commissions for individual providers.

Consideration	Self-hosting	Managed hosting
Recurring cost	You supply the computer, electricity and internet service; costs depend on your existing equipment.	You pay the provider’s recurring plan price, which varies by provider and configuration.
Control	Full access to server files, startup commands, updates and operating-system settings.	Control is mediated by the provider’s panel, image and policies.
Network reliability	Depends on your home or office upload capacity, public IP arrangement and router.	Provider network quality and location determine connectivity.
DDoS protection and backups	You must arrange and maintain them yourself.	May be included, limited or sold as an add-on; confirm the exact plan terms.
Player capacity	Bound by your hardware, resources, network and applicable platform rules.	Bound by the plan’s allocation, resource load and applicable platform rules.
Maintenance effort	You apply artifacts, resource updates, firewall changes and recovery procedures.	The provider handles infrastructure tasks, while you still maintain scripts and configuration.

Choose self-hosting for experimentation, maximum control or a computer that is already online. Choose managed hosting when predictable availability and reduced network administration matter more than direct machine access. Read the current game-server hosting provider guidance and verify authorization, backup policy, support scope and migration access before paying.

What are the most common setup mistakes?

• Using the wrong artifact: download the build for your operating system and keep the server files in a dedicated location.
• Looking for a separate txAdmin installer: txAdmin ships with FXServer; launch FXServer first and use the local panel.
• Putting the key in the wrong place: txAdmin receives the key during recipe deployment, while vanilla servers use sv_licenseKey in server.cfg.
• Starting a nested resource folder: ensure the folder containing fxmanifest.lua is directly under resources/ (unless the resource’s instructions specify another layout).
• Using a deprecated manifest without checking compatibility: __resource.lua is deprecated; prefer a resource with fxmanifest.lua or follow the author’s migration instructions.
• Changing only one side of a port configuration: the server endpoint, router forward, firewall rule and Direct Connect address must agree.
• Assuming LAN success proves public access: test from outside the local network before inviting remote players.
• Exposing secrets: keep the server key, txAdmin password and any resource credentials out of public repositories and screenshots.

What should you do after the first successful connection?

1. Back up the deployed server-data directory, especially server.cfg, resource configuration and any database or persistence files.
2. Record the artifact version and resource versions so you can roll back a failed update.
3. Add one resource at a time, test a connection, and read the console before adding another.
4. Set an administrator password that is unique to txAdmin and restrict panel access to trusted users.
5. Document your endpoint port, router target, firewall rule and public connection address.
6. Measure performance with your intended scripts and player count before raising slots or adding heavy streaming assets.

This staged approach keeps a known-good baseline. If a new script breaks startup, remove its ensure line or restore the previous resource folder, then compare the console output with the resource’s own dependency instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a FiveM server without leaving my gaming PC on?

No. A self-hosted server process must be running and reachable whenever players connect. If you do not want an always-on computer, use a managed game-server host or move FXServer to an always-on machine you administer.

Do players need the same mods or scripts installed manually?

Players normally join through the FiveM client while the server supplies its configured resources. Whether an individual resource needs a client-side download, an external dependency or a specific game build is determined by that resource’s documentation.

How do I change the server name after setup?

Edit the relevant name setting in your server configuration or txAdmin profile, save it, and restart FXServer so the new value is advertised. The exact setting can vary with the recipe and current configuration format, so check the generated file rather than adding a duplicate line blindly.

Can I move my FiveM server to another computer later?

Yes. Copy the server-data directory, resource files and configuration to the new machine, install the matching FXServer artifact, and update paths, firewall rules and router forwarding. Protect the license key and test locally before changing the public endpoint.