How to set up your first FiveM server in 2026 — a complete beginner guide

Setting up a FiveM server in 2026 is easier than it has ever been, but the sheer number of guides, frameworks and conflicting tutorials can still overwhelm a new server owner. This guide walks you through the whole process — from picking a host to joining your server for the first time — using only free or low-cost tools and the official Cfx.re artifact.

1. Pick the right hosting

You have three realistic options: a dedicated FiveM host (e.g. Zap-Hosting, NoHost), a generic VPS (Hetzner, Contabo, OVH), or your own home machine. For a serious community we strongly recommend a VPS in the same region as your players. A 4-vCPU machine with 8 GB of RAM and an NVMe disk is enough to comfortably host 64 players running a medium-sized framework like QBCore.

Avoid shared "FiveM hosting" plans under $5/month — they almost always run on oversold hardware and your tick rate will suffer the moment more than 20 players join.

2. Install the FiveM artifact

Log into your server over SSH and create a dedicated fivem user. Never run the server as root. Download the latest recommended Linux artifact from runtime.fivem.net, extract it into /home/fivem/server, then create a separate /home/fivem/server-data folder for your resources.

Inside the artifact directory run ./run.sh +exec server.cfg the first time to make sure the binary launches. You should see a line that reads "Server started, ready to accept connections." If it crashes immediately, the most common cause is a missing libc++ dependency — install libatomic1 and libc++1 via apt and try again.

3. Configure server.cfg

Your server.cfg is the heart of your server. At minimum it must contain a license key (generate one at keymaster.fivem.net), an SV hostname, the maximum player count, and the list of resources to start. Always start with ensure mapmanager, ensure chat, ensure spawnmanager, ensure sessionmanager, ensure basic-gamemode and ensure hardcap before adding any custom scripts.

Set sv_endpointprivacy true to hide player IP addresses from the server list, and sv_scriptHookAllowed 0 to prevent single-player mod menus from connecting.

4. Install txAdmin

txAdmin is the official web-based control panel for FiveM. It comes bundled with every modern artifact — just run the server once with ./run.sh (no +exec) and it will print a one-time URL with a PIN code. Open it in your browser, set an admin password, and link your Cfx.re account.

From txAdmin you can manage resources, schedule restarts, monitor performance graphs, view live console output and ban players without touching SSH again.

5. Pick a framework

For role-play, the two leading choices are QBCore and ESX. For racing or freeroam, you can stay vanilla and just add a few quality-of-life scripts. Whatever you pick, install it on a clean server and get a single character to spawn before you start adding jobs, MLOs or custom vehicles.

6. Open your firewall

FiveM uses TCP and UDP port 30120 by default. On Ubuntu, run ufw allow 30120/tcp and ufw allow 30120/udp. If you change the port in server.cfg, remember to update the firewall to match.

7. Connect for the first time

In the FiveM client, press F8 and type connect your.server.ip:30120. If everything is configured correctly you will load into a default Los Santos spawn within 30 seconds. Congratulations — you are now a FiveM server owner.

What to do next

Set up automatic nightly restarts via txAdmin, install an anti-cheat (Wasabi Anti-Cheat or FiveGuard), schedule daily database backups, and join a moderation Discord. Then come back and read our list of 20 free scripts every role-play server should install.