Track A · Server Setup

QBCore and txAdmin — your first server

This is the complete beginner path to a running FiveM server. No skipped steps, no assumptions. By the end you have MariaDB running, txAdmin linked to your account, a QBCore recipe deployed, HeidiSQL browsing the database, and your own client joined. This is the lesson most beginners wish they had on day one.

You'll build: A working FiveM server: MariaDB, the txAdmin panel, a QBCore recipe, and HeidiSQL connected to the database.
Time: ~45 minutes
You need: A Windows PC, internet, and a Cfx.re account at portal.cfx.re for the license key.
You'll learn: Install MariaDB as a service, download FXServer, link txAdmin to your Cfx.re account, deploy QBCore with a recipe, connect HeidiSQL, and join the server.

BEFORE YOU START

Build it

Install MariaDB

MariaDB runs as a Windows service on 127.0.0.1:3306.

A FiveM server stores player data in a database. We use MariaDB, a free standalone database that runs as a Windows service in the background. A service is a program Windows starts and keeps running on its own.

Download the Windows x86_64 MSI installer from https://mariadb.org/download/ and run it. Accept the defaults, but set a strong during install and save it in a password manager. Keep port and install it as a .

Symptom	Fix
`The browser never opens or localhost:40120 is refused`	FXServer.exe is not running or its console was closed. Reopen FXServer.exe, keep the black window open, then visit http://localhost:40120 manually.
`FXServer.exe opens then closes immediately`	Missing Visual C++ Redistributable. Install VC_redist.x64.exe from Microsoft, then run FXServer.exe again. Also allow it through Windows Firewall.
`Recipe download stuck or failed partway`	GitHub rate limit or slow internet. Wait a few minutes and run the recipe again. If it keeps failing, download QBCore manually from its docs.
`Server license key authentication failed`	Open portal.cfx.re, confirm the key is active and belongs to your account, paste the exact cfxk_ value into sv_licenseKey with no prefix in front of it, and restart.
`MariaDB connection failed after the recipe`	Start the MariaDB service (services.msc, or Get-Service MariaDB* in PowerShell), and confirm the database password matches what the recipe used.
`MariaDB service won't start (port 3306 in use)`	Another MySQL is using port 3306. Stop the conflicting service, or change MariaDB's port in my.ini (at C:\Program Files\MariaDB <version>\data\my.ini) and update HeidiSQL to match.
`ensure not found in the HeidiSQL console`	HeidiSQL only runs SQL, not FiveM commands. ensure is the FiveM command that starts a resource. Use the txAdmin Live Console for FiveM commands, HeidiSQL for SQL only.
`The txAdmin setup screen does not match these steps`	Labels move between builds. Follow the order: enter PIN, link account, pick recipe, create and paste key, Run Recipe, Save and Run Server.

QBCore and txAdmin — your first server

Build it

Install MariaDB

Download and extract FXServer

Start FXServer and link your account

Deploy the QBCore recipe

Connect HeidiSQL to your database

Join your own server

How it works

If something went wrong

What you can do now