How to create a FiveM server with txAdmin

This walkthrough gets a basic, joinable FiveM server online first, then explains how to add a roleplay framework such as QBCore . txAdmin is included in FXServer; it is not a separate download.

Choose your target: These steps use FiveM for GTAV Legacy. FiveM for GTAV Enhanced uses a separate artifact and has different runtime and resource requirements. See Legacy vs Enhanced before choosing Enhanced.

Before you start

• A 64-bit Windows or Linux machine (local PC, VPS or dedicated server). For a first test, about 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM and 20 GB free disk is a planning baseline, not a guaranteed player capacity.
• A Cfx.re account  with permission to register a server.
• Administrator access to install software and adjust the game-server firewall.
• A Windows PC with FiveM and GTA V for the final connection test.

You do not need MariaDB/MySQL for the FiveM Basic Server (CFX Default) recipe. QBCore/ESX  recipes have their own database requirements.

1. Download a current server artifact

Open the official Cfx.re Server Download  page. Select FiveM / RedM, your operating system and the Recommended channel. Do not scrape an old artifact-directory HTML page or copy a version number from a tutorial.

Windows

1. Create a server-binaries folder such as C:\FXServer\server.
2. Download the recommended Windows server.7z archive.
3. Open it with 7-Zip  and extract its contents into C:\FXServer\server.
4. Confirm C:\FXServer\server\FXServer.exe exists.

Do not try to extract server.7z with PowerShell’s Expand-Archive; that command is for ZIP archives. An Enhanced artifact may have a different archive and executable name.

Linux (x86-64)

Copy the actual recommended Linux download URL from the official page and replace the placeholder below:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/fivem/server
sudo chown "$USER:$(id -gn)" /opt/fivem/server
cd /opt/fivem
 
curl --fail --location "PASTE_RECOMMENDED_LINUX_ARTIFACT_URL" -o fx.tar.xz
tar -xf fx.tar.xz -C /opt/fivem/server
test -x /opt/fivem/server/run.sh && echo "FXServer extracted"

txAdmin stores its data in txData next to run.sh by default, which here is inside the artifact folder. To keep it safe across artifact updates, start with a fixed data path, for example TXHOST_DATA_PATH=/opt/fivem/txData ./run.sh (or Environment=TXHOST_DATA_PATH=/opt/fivem/txData in a systemd unit), and keep using the same value on every start. See Server Artifacts.

If the URL or archive name differs for the selected platform, adjust the filename and extraction method. Do not reuse a Legacy Linux archive for an Enhanced installation. Run the server as an unprivileged user, not root.

2. Start FXServer in txAdmin mode

Do not use +exec server.cfg on the initial txAdmin launch. That is the manual/vanilla-server startup path.

Windows, from PowerShell:

Set-Location C:\FXServer\server
.\FXServer.exe

Linux:

cd /opt/fivem/server
./run.sh

FXServer will show the txAdmin address and a one-time PIN in the console. Open http://localhost:40120 on the same machine, or use the address/port printed in the console.

Remote VPS: Keep port 40120 private. From your computer, use an SSH tunnel:

ssh -L 40120:127.0.0.1:40120 YOUR_SSH_USER@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Then open http://127.0.0.1:40120 in your local browser. If your hosting provider offers an authenticated txAdmin proxy, you can use that instead.

3. Link your Cfx.re account

1. Enter the PIN from the FXServer console.
2. Select Link Account, sign in to Cfx.re, and authorize the connection.
3. Create a backup password and accept the applicable license agreements to register the panel.
4. Enter a recognizable server name.

This is an account-linking flow, not the older standalone “create a txAdmin username and email” form. Protect the Cfx.re account and backup password.

4. Deploy the basic server

1. Choose Popular Recipes as the deployment type.
2. Select FiveM Basic Server (CFX Default). It provides a simple first-install test without SQL or a roleplay framework.
3. Choose a persistent data location separate from the artifact binaries. txAdmin stores profiles in txData; use the location shown by the wizard.
4. Open Recipe Deployer, review the recipe and continue to Input Parameters.
5. Generate a free registration key at Cfx.re Portal → Server Registration Keys . Click Generate Key, name it and copy the value.
6. Paste the key into the txAdmin deployer and select Run Recipe.
7. After a successful deployment, select Save & Run Server.

txAdmin generates the active profile and server.cfg. Do not put FIVEM_LICENSE_KEY in your shell profile and expect FXServer to read it. If using a manual server setup, the setting is sv_licenseKey in the loaded server.cfg; see License Key Setup.

5. Open the FiveM game port

The standard game endpoint is 30120/TCP and 30120/UDP. These ports need to be permitted by your computer firewall, VPS provider firewall and (if hosting at home) router/NAT.

For Ubuntu with UFW already enabled:

sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30120/udp
sudo ufw status

Before enabling UFW for the first time, allow your SSH management port or you could lock yourself out. Windows users can create inbound rules for 30120 TCP and UDP in Windows Defender Firewall. Do not publicly open 40120 just to make the game joinable.

6. Verify the server works

1. In txAdmin, confirm the server is running and no license-key or resource-startup errors appear in the Live Console.

2. From the server itself, test http://127.0.0.1:30120/info.json or the configured game endpoint to confirm the HTTP listener is responding.

3. From a Windows FiveM client, press F8 and enter:

   connect YOUR_SERVER_IP:30120

4. Confirm that you join and spawn, not merely that the port answers.

5. If local connection works but remote connection fails, check the host firewall, provider security group, router forwarding and both protocols on port 30120.

For a server hosted on the same Windows PC as the client, you can try connect 127.0.0.1:30120. The server browser may take time to list a new public server; direct-connection success is the immediate test.

7. Optional: use QBCore or another framework

Do this only after the basic server works. A QBCore/ESX/Qbox recipe is a separate server deployment, not a safe one-click upgrade of a modified basic profile.

1. Back up the current txData, resources and configuration.
2. Prepare MariaDB/MySQL if the chosen official recipe requires it, with a dedicated database user. Do not use a database root account for your game.
3. Create a new txAdmin profile or staging deployment, choose the framework recipe, and provide the database credentials in its deployer.
4. Verify the framework’s required resources, SQL tables, character creation, spawn and saved player data before directing players to the new server.

Use QBCore installation, ESX installation, or Framework Comparison for framework-specific details.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

• txAdmin First Run — each account-linking and deployer step.
• txAdmin Security — protect the administration panel.
• Server Artifacts — update safely and roll back.
• Server Networking — diagnose game ports and proxies.
• Vanilla FXServer Setup — run without txAdmin.
• Official Cfx.re setup guide  — current upstream screenshots.