FiveM Server Hosting

How a FiveM Server Fits Together

FiveM is a modification framework for Grand Theft Auto V, made by Cfx.re. Instead of joining GTA Online, players launch the FiveM client and connect to community servers, each with its own rules, scripts, maps and vehicles. Cfx.re officially joined Rockstar Games on 11 August 2023, and Rockstar describes the move on its own newswire.

A server has three parts. The server artifact is the program itself, which Cfx.re publishes as numbered builds. The server data is a folder holding server.cfg and the resources folder. And your Cfx.re account supplies the licence key that lets the server appear in the server list. Players need their own PC copy of GTA V; the server does not.

Hosting it yourself means a PC that never sleeps, open ports and enough upload for every player streaming your cars and maps. A hosted server gives you a fixed address, DDoS filtering and a database alongside, so the city stays up when your own internet does not.

GTA V Legacy or GTA V Enhanced

Since Rockstar released the Enhanced edition of GTA V on PC, the original version is called GTA V Legacy. Cfx.re's download page now offers two clients: FiveM, which requires GTA V Legacy, and FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, which requires GTA V Enhanced and has been in Early Access since 21 July 2026. Each has its own server: FXServer for Legacy, and the new Cfx Server for Enhanced.

Cfx.re has said Legacy support continues and upgrading a server is optional. If your community already plays on Legacy and depends on escrowed paid scripts, stay where you are for now: Asset Escrow is not implemented on Enhanced yet. If you are starting a new project and your players own Enhanced, the Enhanced product is worth a test.

Licence Keys, OneSync and Player Slots

Every FiveM server needs a licence key tied to a Cfx.re account, set in server.cfg as sv_licenseKey. The key is free. What it does not include is unlimited players: on a free account, OneSync allows up to 48 slots, which is why all our plans come with 48.

• Up to 32 players: works with or without OneSync.
• 33 to 48 players: needs OneSync, free on every account.
• Up to 64: the Argentum tier of Element Club.
• Up to 128: the Aurum tier with OneSync Infinity.
• Up to 2048: the Platinum tier.

Slots are set with sv_maxclients, which accepts 1 to 2048 as long as your licence covers the number. Before buying a tier, be honest about how many people play at your peak; a full 48 player city is already a lot to moderate.

txAdmin and Framework Recipes

txAdmin is Cfx.re's web-based server manager and ships with the server. On our hosting it opens from the panel, and its setup page walks you through deploying a recipe: a script that downloads a framework, writes server.cfg and prepares the database.

1. Start the server and click Open txAdmin Panel.
2. Copy the PIN from the Web Console, link your Cfx.re account and set a txAdmin password.
3. Open the setup page, name the server and choose a recipe from Popular Recipes.
4. Keep the default data location and run the Recipe Deployer.
5. Paste your licence key and replace 0.0.0.0:30120 in endpoint_add_tcp and endpoint_add_udp with the IP and port from Connection Info.
6. Save and run the server, then connect from the FiveM client.

The CFX Default recipe gives you a clean sandbox to build on. ESX Legacy and QBCore give you a full roleplay base with jobs, money, inventories and vehicles stored in MySQL. Both are large community projects with their own documentation, so pick one and learn it well rather than mixing scripts written for each.

Resources, Streamed Assets and the Database

A resource is a folder with a manifest and some scripts or assets. The server only runs resources named in server.cfg with ensure, in the order they are listed. Put the framework and its libraries first, then jobs, then cosmetic extras, and restart after each batch so a broken script is easy to spot in the console.

Streamed assets, such as add-on cars, clothing and map edits, are downloaded by every player when they join. They make a city feel unique, but they also lengthen first joins and use server memory. Compress where the author allows it, remove what nobody uses, and keep an eye on the memory graph after each new pack.

Frameworks store characters, bank balances, owned vehicles and houses in MySQL. Your plan includes a database you manage with phpMyAdmin from the Mod Manager. Back it up before every framework update, because a failed migration can affect every character on the server at once.

Restarts, Updates and a Stable City

Most busy cities restart on a schedule, often every six or eight hours, to clear memory and reload scripts cleanly. txAdmin can announce the restart in game and run it on time, and our Scheduled Tasks and Backup Manager can take a snapshot first.

Cfx.re publishes server artifacts on a Recommended branch and a Latest branch. The docs advise downloading the latest artifact to update a server; in practice the Recommended branch is the safer choice for a live city. When Rockstar releases a new GTA Online update, Cfx.re adds support for the new game build, and Legacy servers can choose a build with sv_enforceGameBuild while Enhanced servers always use the newest one.

One rule saves most headaches: change one thing at a time. Update the artifact, test, then update the framework, test, then add new scripts. With a snapshot before each step, any mistake is a five minute rollback rather than a lost weekend.

What to Compare Before You Rent a FiveM Server

FiveM offers vary more than most game servers. These are the questions that separate a good home for a city from a cheap one.

1. Memory, not just slotsEvery free FiveM server tops out at 48 players, so slot counts tell you little. Check how much RAM the price includes.
2. txAdmin accessMake sure you get full txAdmin, not a cut-down manager, and that you can deploy any recipe.
3. A database includedESX and QBCore need MySQL. Check that a database and a way to edit it come with the plan.
4. Legacy or EnhancedConfirm which GTA V edition the server runs, and whether the other is available when your players move.
5. File access for big packsSFTP matters once you upload gigabytes of cars and maps.
6. Location and DDoS filteringTest ping to a data centre near your players, and ask how attacks are handled.
7. Billing termsLook at monthly and longer cycles, setup fees and minimum terms.

FiveM Server Glossary

Cfx.re

The team behind FiveM and RedM, part of Rockstar Games since 2023.

FXServer

The FiveM server program for GTA V Legacy.

Cfx Server

The new server program for FiveM for GTAV Enhanced.

Artifact

A numbered build of the server program, published on the Recommended or Latest branch.

txAdmin

Cfx.re's web panel for deploying recipes and managing players, resources and restarts.

Recipe

A txAdmin script that installs a framework, writes server.cfg and sets up the database.

Resource

A folder of scripts or assets started by an ensure line in server.cfg.

OneSync

FiveM's server-side sync system, needed for more than 32 players.

Element Club

Cfx.re's paid tiers that raise the slot limit above 48.

ESX and QBCore

The two most widely used roleplay frameworks for FiveM.

sv_licenseKey

The server.cfg line holding the licence key from your Cfx.re account.

FiveM Server Help and Next Steps

Official documentation and our own guides.

• Order FiveM Enhanced (GTA V Enhanced)The same plans and prices, for players on GTA V Enhanced.
• Our txAdmin setup guide for FiveMLink your account, deploy a recipe and start the server.
• Our FiveM Enhanced setup guideThe same steps with the Enhanced recipe.
• FiveM server manual, Cfx.reServer.cfg, licence keys and commands.
• Legacy vs Enhanced, Cfx.re docsEvery difference between the two server versions.
• Contact support24/7 help with txAdmin, databases and resources.