Module A3 · Operate & secure

Artifact update SOP

FiveM artifacts are not forever. Cfx.re supports them on a clock, and an outdated artifact eventually makes your server unjoinable from the browser. But blindly grabbing the newest build the night before a launch is how servers break. This SOP makes updating boring: pin what works, back it up, update, test, and have a one-step rollback.

You'll build: A safe, repeatable routine for updating your FXServer artifact: pin the current build, update, test, and roll back if it breaks.
Time: ~15 minutes to set up; minutes per update after.
You need: A running server and the artifact-pin note from the setup track.
You'll learn: Why artifacts expire -> the support windows -> a backup-first update routine -> how to roll back fast

BEFORE YOU START

The update routine

Record the build you run today

You know exactly what to roll back to.

Keep a tiny note next to the server:

code

Current build: <number>
Channel: Recommended
Known-good: yes
Updated: <date>
Rollback build: <previous number>

Back up the artifact binaries before you touch anything

The exact build you run today is saved off to one side.

Know the two halves of your server folder. The artifact binaries are the FXServer files you downloaded and extracted: FXServer.exe, run.cmd (or run.sh on Linux), the citizen folder, and the rest of the runtime. Your server-data is everything you own: the resources folder, server.cfg, your database, your .env. An update only swaps the binaries. It must never touch server-data.

Copy just the current binaries to a dated backup, for example fxserver-2026-06-12. That copy is your undo button if the new build misbehaves. Leave resources, server.cfg, and your database exactly where they are.

Swap in the Recommended build

The server runs a current, stable build with your config untouched.

Download the latest Recommended (green) artifact. Extract it over the artifact binaries only, the same files you backed up in Step 2. Do not extract it on top of your resources folder or server.cfg. If your binaries and server-data live in the same folder (a common txAdmin layout), extract carefully so you overwrite only FXServer.exe, run.cmd/run.sh, and citizen, never your config or resources. Then start the server. Do not grab bleeding-edge "Latest" for a production server unless you are chasing a specific fix.

Smoke-test, then mark known-good or roll back

You either confirm the build or revert in one step.

Run the same checklist every time so a regression cannot hide:

Keep reading the full lesson

Still ahead in this lesson

Common mistakes
What you can do now