Plan your first FiveM server

Write the server promise

Write who the server is for, the style of roleplay, and what players should spend most of their time doing.

# My FiveM server plan

## Server promise
A beginner-friendly serious-roleplay city for 32 players, built around police,
EMS, mechanic work, player-owned businesses, and a controlled economy.

Avoid vague promises such as "the best city" or "everything included." A useful promise limits the first version so you can actually test it.

Choose local or hosted

Pick one route for the first setup.

A VPS is a virtual private server, a rented Linux or Windows machine you control over the internet.

Add the decision and reason to your plan.

## Hosting route
Route: Local Windows PC
Why: I am learning alone and do not need public access yet.
Move to hosting when: two remote testers are ready.

Do not mix a Windows-local tutorial with Linux VPS paths. The concepts are the same. The folders, permissions, firewall setup, and service management differ.

Map the platform and data layers

Record these roles in your own words.

• FXServer artifact: the Cfx.re server program. You install it in the next lessons. Install the recommended build (the highlighted green row) unless you specifically need a brand-new fix.
• txAdmin: the browser control panel included with FXServer. It starts, stops, monitors, and configures the server.
• Cfx.re Portal: the current home for creating and managing the server license key. Use https://portal.cfx.re.
• MariaDB: the database engine that stores persistent server data.
• HeidiSQL: a desktop database client used to inspect MariaDB and import SQL files.
• oxmysql: a FiveM resource that lets server-side scripts query MariaDB.

Add this section.

## Foundation
Platform: FXServer with txAdmin
License management: Cfx.re Portal
Database: MariaDB
Database viewer: HeidiSQL
Database connector: oxmysql

Shortlist a framework

A framework gives resources shared concepts such as players, jobs, money, and callbacks. Use one primary framework.

• ESX Legacy: established ecosystem and broad third-party script availability.
• QBCore: established QB ecosystem with its own conventions and resources.
• Qbox: a QBCore-derived framework built around the ox ecosystem. A recipe is a one-click txAdmin starter that downloads a framework and writes your first server.cfg. txAdmin's built-in recipe list is CFX Default, QBCore, and ESX Legacy only. Qbox has a maintained recipe too, but it is not built in; you deploy it from its remote recipe URL, so treat it as an advanced path for later.

There is no universal winner. Check the recipe, documentation, maintenance activity, and every must-have resource you plan to use. Do not buy an ESX-only package before choosing Qbox, and do not buy a QB-only package before choosing ESX.

## Framework shortlist
Candidate 1:
Candidate 2:
Must-have resources checked for compatibility:
Final choice: Not chosen until compatibility checks are complete

Separate must-have systems from later ideas

Make two lists.

The first list contains only what is required for a player to join and complete your server's basic roleplay loop. Everything else waits.

## Must have for the first playable test
- Framework and character system
- Database connector
- Inventory
- Voice
- One legal job and one emergency job
- One vehicle shop and garage path

## Add after the first test passes
- Housing
- Custom phone
- Extra jobs
- Paid maps and vehicle packs

This is scope control, not a permanent restriction. A small server that starts cleanly is useful. A huge resource folder with 200 errors is not.

Build the dependency map

For each must-have system, record the exact resource, official source, supported framework, database needs, and dependencies.

## Dependency map
| System | Resource | Framework support | Needs | SQL included | Official source checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Database connector | oxmysql | Framework independent | MariaDB | No | Yes |
| Shared UI/library | ox_lib | Check each resource | None | No | Yes |
| Inventory | To decide | To verify | Framework, ox_lib, oxmysql | To verify | No |
| Voice | pma-voice | Standalone | OneSync/audio config | No | No |

OneSync is the FiveM networking mode that raises the player limit above the 31-slot cap you get without it. It is not on by default, so you add set onesync on in server.cfg later.

Never assume a dependency from a folder name. Read the current README, documentation, release notes, and fxmanifest.lua for the exact version you will install.

Turn dependencies into an install order

Install the foundation before gameplay resources. The exact names vary, but the reasoning stays stable.

FXServer + txAdmin
  -> database and connection string
  -> database connector
  -> framework recipe and framework dependencies
  -> shared libraries
  -> inventory, target, voice, and other core systems
  -> one gameplay resource
  -> test, back up, then add the next resource

Do not copy that diagram directly into server.cfg. Official recipes often manage multiple resources and category folders for you. The later server.cfg lesson teaches the real ensure order for the stack you install. ensure is the server.cfg command that starts a resource at boot.

## Install and test order
1. Start the base recipe and confirm txAdmin has no repeating errors.
2. Confirm the database connection before installing database-backed scripts.
3. Join with one clean test account.
4. Install one resource.
5. Restart that resource and check txAdmin plus F8.
6. Back up the working state before adding another resource.

F8 is the in-game client console. You open it by pressing F8 while the FiveM client is in focus, and it reports client-side script errors.

Define the first proof

Finish your file with a pass condition.

## First proof
[ ] Hosting route chosen
[ ] Framework shortlist checked against must-have resources
[ ] Foundation tools named
[ ] Dependencies recorded from official sources
[ ] Install order written
[ ] First test defined: one player connects and creates a character
[ ] Rollback rule: back up before every new resource or update