FiveM Server Setup on Ubuntu 24.04 — txAdmin + QBCore (2026)

A complete, battle-tested walkthrough for spinning up your own FiveM GTA V roleplay server on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. We cover the CFX license key, the current recommended Linux artifact (build 25770, txAdmin 8.0.1), full txAdmin web-panel setup, MariaDB configuration, QBCore framework install, systemd auto-restart, and the 12 most common errors and their fixes. Everything here was verified against official Cfx.re documentation on 2026-04-19.

01 // What is FiveM (and why you want your own server)

FiveM is a modification framework for Grand Theft Auto V that enables custom multiplayer servers with Lua/JavaScript scripting, custom gamemodes, and synchronized roleplay economies. Unlike Rockstar's official GTA Online, FiveM servers are community-run and can host anywhere from 32 to 2,048 players with completely custom experiences — banks, jobs, housing, drug economies, police and EMS departments, custom vehicles, MLO (Map Loader Object) interiors, and more.

In 2026, FiveM remains the dominant GTA V multiplayer mod. The roleplay scene — heavy RP cities using frameworks like QBCore, ESX, or the newer Qbox — accounts for the vast majority of server population. Running your own server gives you full control over rules, scripts, and player base, and with current hardware, a 64-slot QBCore city runs comfortably on a mid-tier VPS.

This guide targets a self-hosted Ubuntu 24.04 LTS VPS. If you prefer a managed one-click option, ZAP-Hosting (an official CFX partner) is covered in the affiliate box below.

02 // Requirements

• A Cfx.re forum account — free. Required to generate a license key at keymaster.fivem.net.
• A Linux VPS — Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (or 22.04 LTS) with root or sudo access. See hardware recommendations below.
• A public IPv4 address — NAT or CGNAT will not work. The license key is bound to the public IP reported by the server.
• Open ports — 30120/tcp + 30120/udp (game traffic) and 40120/tcp (txAdmin web panel).
• MariaDB 10.6 or newer — required for any framework (QBCore, ESX, Qbox) to persist characters, inventory, vehicles, etc.
• Basic Linux familiarity — you should be comfortable with ssh, sudo, systemd, and editing config files with nano or vim.

Hardware sizing by server size

FiveM server performance is mostly bound by single-thread CPU speed and RAM, not core count. A framework like QBCore with 150+ resources will easily use 4–8 GB RAM on its own before a single player joins.

03 // Pick your hosting option

FiveM roleplay servers are RAM-hungry, so never under-provision. Below are the two options most HostingBuff readers choose between: a self-managed Hostinger VPS (best price/performance, needs Linux skills) or a managed ZAP-Hosting server (click-to-play, no terminal). Both are covered in this guide — if you pick ZAP-Hosting you can skip straight to section 11 (framework install).

04 // Get your CFX license key

Every FiveM server needs a license key. It is free, tied to your Cfx.re account, and bound to the public IPv4 address of your server. Without a valid key, players cannot connect — the server will start but refuse all joins.

1. Go to keymaster.fivem.net and sign in with your forum.cfx.re account.
2. Click "+ New".
3. Set Server type to "I rent a server from a server provider" (correct for any VPS).
4. Enter your VPS public IPv4 address in the IP field. Get it with curl -4 ifconfig.me on the server.
5. Give it a recognisable label (e.g. "MyRP-Main") and click Generate.
6. Copy the long key that starts with cfxk_. You will paste it into server.cfg later. Keep it secret — treat it like a password.

05 // Prepare the Ubuntu server

SSH into your fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VPS as root (or with a sudo user). We will update the system, create a dedicated non-root fivem user, install build tools, and open the firewall.

# 1. Update everything and install prerequisites
apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install -y curl wget xz-utils tar git screen ufw nano ca-certificates

# 2. Create a dedicated service user (never run FiveM as root)
adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" fivem
usermod -aG sudo fivem   # optional, remove if you don't want sudo

# 3. Configure the firewall
ufw allow 22/tcp            # SSH
ufw allow 30120/tcp         # FiveM game
ufw allow 30120/udp         # FiveM game (UDP is critical)
ufw allow 40120/tcp         # txAdmin web panel
ufw --force enable
ufw status numbered

06 // Install and secure MariaDB

Every modern FiveM framework (QBCore, ESX, Qbox) stores character data, inventory, vehicles, banks, and housing in a MySQL-compatible database. We use MariaDB 10.11 from the Ubuntu 24.04 repos — it is rock solid, officially supported, and requires zero external PPAs.

# Install MariaDB server
apt install -y mariadb-server mariadb-client

# Secure the installation (answer Y to all hardening prompts, set a strong root password)
mariadb-secure-installation

# Create the FiveM database and dedicated DB user
mariadb -u root -p <<'SQL'
CREATE DATABASE fivem CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'fivem'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'CHANGE_ME_STRONG_PASSWORD';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON fivem.* TO 'fivem'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
SQL

07 // Download the FiveM Linux artifact

The FiveM server binary is called an artifact. Cfx.re publishes new builds almost daily; we always use the build marked "recommended" on the official build list at runtime.fivem.net. As of 2026-04-19 that is build 25770, which ships bundled txAdmin 8.0.1.

# Switch to the fivem user
su - fivem

# Create the server directory structure
mkdir -p ~/server ~/server-data
cd ~/server

# Download the recommended Linux artifact (replace URL with the latest 'recommended' link)
wget https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/25770-LATEST_HASH/fx.tar.xz

# Extract it in place
tar xf fx.tar.xz
rm fx.tar.xz

# Confirm the binaries are there
ls -la run.sh alpine/

08 // First launch — start txAdmin

txAdmin is the official web-based admin panel that ships bundled with every modern FiveM artifact. It handles first-time setup, server.cfg management, resource installation (via recipes), player management, live console, scheduled restarts, and Discord integration. We will never run the FiveM server without it.

# Still as the 'fivem' user, in ~/server
cd ~/server

# Start inside a screen session so closing SSH does not kill the server
screen -S fivem

# Launch FiveM pointing at the EMPTY data folder we created earlier
bash run.sh +set serverProfile default +set txAdminPort 40120 +setr fivem_serverDataPath "/home/fivem/server-data"

Output looks like this:

[txAdmin:Setup] Join http://<YOUR_SERVER_IP>:40120/addMaster/pin?pin=1234
            or paste the PIN: 1234 when asked

Copy the URL (or just the PIN) — you need it for step 09. Detach from screen with Ctrl+A, then D. Re-attach any time with screen -r fivem.

09 // Complete the txAdmin first-time setup (web browser)

On your local PC, open http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:40120 in a browser. You will walk through a four-step wizard.

1. PIN verification — paste the 4-digit PIN from the terminal output. This proves you control the server.
2. Create master account — this is your txAdmin admin user. Use a long password; this account can execute arbitrary commands on your server.
3. Link Cfx.re account (optional but recommended) — signs you in via the Cfx.re OAuth flow. Enables sharing admin access with your team via Cfx accounts instead of shared passwords.
4. Deployer — pick your starting point:
   • Popular recipe — one-click install of cfx-server-data (vanilla freeroam, great for testing), QBCore, ESX Legacy, or Qbox. Recommended for 99% of readers.
   • Remote recipe URL — paste a URL to a custom recipe.yaml. Used by advanced users deploying their own framework fork.
   • Existing server data folder — skip the deployer and point at a folder you already populated.

Once you pick a recipe, txAdmin downloads it, creates the folder structure in ~/server-data, imports the framework's SQL schema into MariaDB (you enter your DB credentials here), and generates a ready-to-edit server.cfg. This takes 2–5 minutes depending on your VPS network speed.

10 // Configure server.cfg (the critical file)

After the recipe finishes, txAdmin drops you on the dashboard. Before you start the server for real, edit ~/server-data/server.cfg via txAdmin → Settings → CFG Editor (or directly in nano). The fields below are the ones you must get right.

# ---- Endpoint configuration (game traffic) ----
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

# ---- Server identity ----
sv_hostname "^1MyRP ^7| ^2QBCore ^7| ^3discord.gg/yourinvite"
sv_projectName "MyRP"
sv_projectDesc "Serious roleplay | Whitelist | Economy reset weekly"
sv_maxClients 64

# ---- CFX License key (paste the cfxk_... key from keymaster) ----
sv_licenseKey "cfxk_YOUR_LONG_KEY_HERE"

# ---- List visibility ----
sets tags "roleplay, qbcore, english, serious-rp"
sets locale "en-US"
sets banner_detail "https://i.imgur.com/YOUR_BANNER.png"

# ---- Performance tuning ----
sv_enforceGameBuild 3095           # mpchristmas3 DLC, current stable
onesync on                          # required for >32 slots
sv_scriptHookAllowed 0              # disable to prevent cheat loaders

# ---- Admin access (Cfx.re identifier, Discord ID, or Steam hex) ----
add_ace group.admin command allow
add_principal identifier.fivem:YOUR_FIVEM_ID group.admin

11 // Start the server and connect

From the txAdmin dashboard, click the big green Start Server button. Watch the live console — you want to see Server is now listening and no red error lines. Common first-run hiccups:

• License key is not yet active — wait 2 minutes, Cfx.re's key cache refreshes periodically.
• Port 30120 in use — something else grabbed it. sudo ss -tulnp | grep 30120 to find what.
• Could not connect to database — check server.cfg's mysql_connection_string or the QBCore qb-core/config.lua.

Once the console is clean, launch FiveM on your PC, press F8 to open the client console, and type:

connect YOUR_SERVER_IP:30120

You should load into the city within 60–90 seconds (first join downloads all streamed assets — subsequent joins are near-instant). If QBCore is running, you will land on the multicharacter selection screen.

12 // Essential QBCore post-install tuning

If you picked the QBCore recipe, your server is runnable but not production-ready. These four edits separate a "toy server" from one players will actually stick around on.

12.1 // Set your starting money and apartment

Edit ~/server-data/resources/[qb]/qb-core/config.lua:

QBConfig.Money.MoneyTypes = { cash = 500, bank = 5000, crypto = 0 }   -- starter wallet
QBConfig.StartingApartment = true                                     -- give every new char a free apartment
QBConfig.Server.Whitelist = true                                      -- recommend: true for serious RP

12.2 // Configure the Discord webhook for logs

Every significant action (kills, transactions, admin commands) can log to a Discord channel. Edit qb-smallresources/config.lua and paste a Discord webhook URL per log type. Without this, moderating a 64-slot city is nearly impossible.

12.3 // Disable resources you don't need

QBCore ships with ~120 resources. Every resource uses CPU and RAM. Open server.cfg, find the ensure qb-* block, and comment out anything you know you won't use (e.g. qb-clothing if you replace it with fivem-appearance, qb-weed if your city is drug-free RP, etc.).

12.4 // Set a convar secret for external APIs

If you plan to use the Tebex webstore, FiveGuard anticheat, or any paid script, store API keys in server.cfg with set (private) instead of sets (public). Example:

set tebex_secret "your_tebex_secret_here"
set fiveguard_license "your_fiveguard_license"

13 // Make the server auto-start on boot (systemd)

Running inside screen is fine for testing, but for production you want the server to restart automatically if the VPS reboots or the FiveM process crashes. Create a systemd service.

# Back as root (exit out of su - fivem first, or open a new SSH session)
nano /etc/systemd/system/fivem.service

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=FiveM Server (txAdmin)
After=network-online.target mariadb.service
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=fivem
Group=fivem
WorkingDirectory=/home/fivem/server
ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/fivem/server/run.sh +set serverProfile default +set txAdminPort 40120 +setr fivem_serverDataPath "/home/fivem/server-data"
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable --now fivem
systemctl status fivem          # should say 'active (running)'
journalctl -u fivem -f          # live logs, Ctrl+C to exit

14 // Scheduled restarts and database backups

Long-running FiveM servers leak memory over time — especially with 150+ resources loaded. Scheduled restarts every 6–12 hours are standard in the RP scene. txAdmin handles this natively.

Restart schedule — in txAdmin → Settings → Restarter, add restart times like 06:00, 14:00, 22:00. txAdmin will announce them in-game 30, 15, 5, and 1 minute in advance, then gracefully restart the server.

Database backups — your entire economy lives in MariaDB. Losing that table is a server-ending event. Add a cron job as root:

# Create backup script
mkdir -p /var/backups/fivem
cat > /usr/local/bin/fivem-db-backup.sh <<'SH'
#!/bin/bash
TS=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
mariadb-dump --single-transaction -u fivem -p'YOUR_DB_PASSWORD' fivem | gzip > /var/backups/fivem/fivem-$TS.sql.gz
find /var/backups/fivem -name 'fivem-*.sql.gz' -mtime +14 -delete
SH
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/fivem-db-backup.sh

# Run every 6 hours
( crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "0 */6 * * * /usr/local/bin/fivem-db-backup.sh" ) | crontab -

15 // Install custom resources (scripts, MLOs, vehicles)

Resources are FiveM's plugin system. They live in ~/server-data/resources/ and are loaded via ensure resource-name lines in server.cfg.

1. Clone or upload the resource into ~/server-data/resources/[category]/resource-name/. Most QBCore scripts go under [qb] or [standalone].
2. Read its README — nearly every resource has dependencies (qb-core, ox_lib, oxmysql) and SQL files to import.
3. If there's a .sql file, import it: mariadb -u fivem -p fivem < path/to/resource.sql
4. Add ensure resource-name to server.cfg in the correct order (dependencies before dependents).
5. Restart the server from txAdmin (or systemctl restart fivem).

16 // Interactive VPS plan calculator

Pick your framework and target slot count and we'll tell you the minimum Hostinger plan that won't bottleneck you. Based on real-world RAM usage of the major frameworks plus 1.5× headroom for resource load.

17 // Troubleshooting — the 12 most common errors

18 // Next Steps

• Set up FastDL — offload custom asset downloads to HTTP so players load in 10 seconds instead of 5 minutes. Our FastDL guide covers the concept — FiveM version coming soon.
• Add a Pterodactyl or Pelican panel — if you want a GUI for managing multiple game servers from one dashboard, install Pelican or Pterodactyl. Both support FiveM as an egg.
• Configure Tebex — the only Cfx.re-sanctioned monetization method. Anything else risks a server ban.
• Harden SSH — disable password auth, enable key-only login, change the default port. Non-negotiable for any public VPS.
• Monitor with Netdata or Grafana — catch memory leaks and CPU spikes before they become player-facing lag.

19 // Final thoughts

A FiveM RP server is a living thing. The technical setup above gets you online — keeping players takes consistent moderation, regular content updates, and an engaged community. Start small (16–32 slots, trusted friends as staff), iterate on the framework, and scale the VPS up only when your player count actually justifies it. Over-provisioning a dead server is the fastest way to burn cash.

If you run into anything this guide did not cover, the Cfx.re forums and QBCore Discord solve 99% of issues. Welcome to the scene.