FiveM Server Setup Guide

Complete guide for setting up and securing a FiveM server with proxy, firewall, and DDoS protection

Requirements & Prerequisites

System Requirements

  • Operating System: Windows Server 2019/2022 or Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 LTS
  • CPU: 4+ cores (8+ recommended for high-population servers)
  • RAM: 8GB minimum (16GB+ recommended)
  • Storage: 100GB+ SSD storage
  • Network: 1Gbps connection minimum
  • Ports: 30120 (default FiveM port), 30110-30130 (recommended range)

Important Licensing Requirements

  • Valid FiveM server license (free for up to 32 players)
  • Patreon subscription for higher player counts
  • Steam API key for proper authentication
  • Rockstar Social Club account

Server Installation

Step 1: Download FiveM Server

Windows 
# Create server directory
mkdir C:\FiveM-Server
cd C:\FiveM-Server

# Download latest server build
curl -O https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_server_windows/master/latest/server.zip

# Extract files
Expand-Archive server.zip -DestinationPath .
Linux 
# Create server directory
mkdir /home/fivem-server
cd /home/fivem-server

# Download latest server build
wget https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/latest/fx.tar.xz

# Extract files
tar -xf fx.tar.xz

Step 2: Create Server Configuration

server.cfg 
# Basic server configuration
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

# Server identity
sv_hostname "^2Your FiveM Server ^7| ^3Welcome!"
sv_maxclients 32
sv_endpointprivacy true

# License and authentication
sv_licensekey "your-license-key-here"
steam_webApiKey "your-steam-api-key-here"

# Server security
rcon_password "your-secure-rcon-password"
sv_enforce_gamebuild 2944

# OneSync settings (for 32+ players)
onesync on

# Resources to start
ensure mapmanager
ensure chat
ensure spawnmanager
ensure sessionmanager
ensure basic-gamemode
ensure hardcap

# Custom resources
ensure [essential]
ensure [cars]
ensure [maps]

# Server tags
tags "roleplay, serious, whitelisted"

# Loading screen
loadscreen_manual_shutdown yes

Basic Configuration

Directory Structure Setup

Directory Structure 
FiveM-Server/
├── server.cfg
├── server.exe (Windows) / run.sh (Linux)
├── resources/
│   ├── [essential]/
│   ├── [cars]/
│   ├── [maps]/
│   └── [scripts]/
├── cache/
├── logs/
└── data/

Resource Management

Resource Configuration 
# Essential resources (always load first)
ensure mapmanager
ensure chat
ensure spawnmanager
ensure sessionmanager
ensure basic-gamemode
ensure hardcap

# Admin resources
ensure [admin]
ensure vMenu
ensure EasyAdmin

# Core gameplay resources
ensure [esx]        # if using ESX framework
ensure [vrp]        # if using vRP framework
ensure mysql-async  # database connector

# Custom resources (load last)
ensure custom-hud
ensure custom-scripts
ensure custom-cars

Database Configuration (MySQL)

MySQL Setup 
# Install MySQL (Ubuntu)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install mysql-server

# Secure MySQL installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation

# Create FiveM database
mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE fivem_db;
CREATE USER 'fivem_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON fivem_db.* TO 'fivem_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Proxy & Load Balancing

Nginx Reverse Proxy for Web Interface

nginx.conf 
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-server.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name your-server.com;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/certificate.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/private.key;

    # FiveM server proxy
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:30120;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }

    # Rate limiting
    limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=fivem:10m rate=10r/s;
    limit_req zone=fivem burst=20 nodelay;
}

HAProxy Load Balancing (Multiple Servers)

haproxy.cfg 
global
    daemon
    maxconn 4096

defaults
    mode tcp
    timeout connect 5000ms
    timeout client 50000ms
    timeout server 50000ms

frontend fivem_frontend
    bind *:30120
    default_backend fivem_servers

backend fivem_servers
    balance roundrobin
    server fivem1 192.168.1.10:30120 check
    server fivem2 192.168.1.11:30120 check
    server fivem3 192.168.1.12:30120 check backup

Cloudflare Proxy Configuration

Cloudflare Setup for DDoS Protection

  1. Add your domain to Cloudflare
  2. Set DNS record: A @ your-server-ip (Orange cloud enabled)
  3. Configure Cloudflare settings:
    • SSL/TLS: Full (strict)
    • Security Level: High
    • Bot Fight Mode: On
    • Under Attack Mode: When needed
  4. Create firewall rules for additional protection

Firewall Configuration

UFW (Ubuntu Firewall)

UFW Setup 
# Enable UFW
sudo ufw enable

# Default policies
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

# SSH access (change port if needed)
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

# HTTP/HTTPS
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

# FiveM server ports
sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30120/udp

# MySQL (only from specific IPs if needed)
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 3306

# Check status
sudo ufw status verbose

Windows Defender Firewall

PowerShell 
# FiveM inbound rules
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "FiveM Server TCP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 30120 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "FiveM Server UDP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 30120 -Action Allow

# HTTP/HTTPS rules
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "HTTP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "HTTPS" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443 -Action Allow

# Block specific IPs (example)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Malicious IP" -Direction Inbound -RemoteAddress "1.2.3.4" -Action Block

Advanced iptables Rules (Linux)

iptables 
#!/bin/bash
# Advanced iptables configuration for FiveM

# Flush existing rules
iptables -F
iptables -X
iptables -t nat -F
iptables -t nat -X

# Default policies
iptables -P INPUT DROP
iptables -P FORWARD DROP
iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT

# Allow loopback
iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o lo -j ACCEPT

# Allow established connections
iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT

# SSH (change port as needed)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -m conntrack --ctstate NEW -j ACCEPT

# HTTP/HTTPS
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT

# FiveM server
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 30120 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 30120 -j ACCEPT

# Rate limiting for FiveM port
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 30120 -m limit --limit 25/minute --limit-burst 100 -j ACCEPT

# Drop invalid packets
iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate INVALID -j DROP

# Protection against port scans
iptables -A INPUT -m recent --name portscan --rcheck --seconds 86400 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -m recent --name portscan --set -j LOG --log-prefix "Portscan:"
iptables -A INPUT -m recent --name portscan --set -j DROP

# Save rules
iptables-save > /etc/iptables/rules.v4

DDoS Protection

Fail2Ban Configuration

Install Fail2Ban 
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install fail2ban

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum install fail2ban

# Start and enable
sudo systemctl start fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
/etc/fail2ban/jail.local 
[DEFAULT]
bantime = 3600
findtime = 600
maxretry = 5
backend = auto

[sshd]
enabled = true
port = ssh
filter = sshd
logpath = /var/log/auth.log
maxretry = 3
bantime = 86400

[fivem-flood]
enabled = true
port = 30120
filter = fivem-flood
logpath = /var/log/fivem/server.log
maxretry = 20
findtime = 60
bantime = 600

[nginx-req-limit]
enabled = true
filter = nginx-req-limit
action = iptables-multiport[name=ReqLimit, port="http,https", protocol=tcp]
logpath = /var/log/nginx/error.log
findtime = 600
bantime = 7200
maxretry = 10

Custom FiveM Fail2Ban Filter

/etc/fail2ban/filter.d/fivem-flood.conf 
[Definition]
failregex = ^.*Dropping client :.*flood.*$
            ^.*Received too many packets from .*$
            ^.*Suspicious activity from .*$
ignoreregex =

Network-Level DDoS Protection

Recommended DDoS Protection Services

  • Cloudflare: Free tier provides basic protection, Pro+ for advanced features
  • OVH Game DDoS Protection: Specialized for gaming servers
  • AWS Shield: For servers hosted on AWS
  • Path.net: Gaming-focused DDoS protection

Server-Side Rate Limiting

server.cfg (Rate Limiting) 
# Network security settings
sv_netTimeout 60000
sv_maxPacketSize 1200
sv_rateLimitEnabled true
sv_rateLimitThreshold 5000

# Connection limiting
sv_maxClients 128
sv_endpointPrivacy true

# Anti-cheat settings
sv_enforceGameBuild 2944
sv_scriptHookAllowed false

Security Hardening

System Security

System Hardening 
# Create dedicated user for FiveM
sudo adduser fivem --disabled-password --gecos ""
sudo usermod -aG sudo fivem

# Set file permissions
sudo chown -R fivem:fivem /home/fivem-server
sudo chmod -R 750 /home/fivem-server

# Disable root login
sudo sed -i 's/PermitRootLogin yes/PermitRootLogin no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Change SSH port (optional)
sudo sed -i 's/#Port 22/Port 2222/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Restart SSH
sudo systemctl restart ssh

FiveM Security Configuration

Secure server.cfg 
# Strong RCON password
rcon_password "$(openssl rand -base64 32)"

# Disable unnecessary features
sv_scriptHookAllowed false
sv_enableNetworkStacks false

# Resource security
set mysql_connection_string "mysql://user:password@localhost/database?charset=utf8mb4"

# Admin whitelist
add_ace group.admin command allow
add_ace identifier.steam:110000103fd1bb1 group.admin

# Secure communication
sv_endpointPrivacy true
sv_enforceGameBuild 2944

# Logging
con_logFile "server.log"
set sv_logLevel 2

Database Security

MySQL Security 
# Secure MySQL configuration
[mysqld]
bind-address = 127.0.0.1
port = 3306
max_connections = 100
max_user_connections = 50

# Security settings
local-infile = 0
secure-file-priv = "/var/lib/mysql-files/"

# Log suspicious activity
log-error = /var/log/mysql/error.log
general_log = 1
general_log_file = /var/log/mysql/general.log

# SSL configuration (recommended)
ssl-ca = /etc/mysql/ssl/ca-cert.pem
ssl-cert = /etc/mysql/ssl/server-cert.pem
ssl-key = /etc/mysql/ssl/server-key.pem

Resource Validation

Resource Security Checklist

  • Only install resources from trusted sources
  • Review Lua code before adding new resources
  • Use resource encryption for sensitive scripts
  • Regularly update all resources
  • Monitor resource performance and behavior
  • Use ACL (Access Control Lists) for admin resources

Monitoring & Logs

Log Configuration

Logging Setup 
# Create log directories
mkdir -p /var/log/fivem
chown fivem:fivem /var/log/fivem

# Logrotate configuration
cat > /etc/logrotate.d/fivem << 'EOF'
/var/log/fivem/*.log {
    daily
    missingok
    rotate 14
    compress
    delaycompress
    notifempty
    copytruncate
    su fivem fivem
}
EOF

System Monitoring Script

monitor.sh 
#!/bin/bash
# FiveM Server Monitoring Script

LOG_FILE="/var/log/fivem/monitor.log"
SERVER_PID=$(pgrep -f "FXServer")

# Function to log with timestamp
log_message() {
    echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] $1" >> $LOG_FILE
}

# Check if server is running
if [ -z "$SERVER_PID" ]; then
    log_message "ERROR: FiveM server is not running"
    # Restart server
    systemctl restart fivem
    log_message "INFO: Attempted to restart FiveM server"
else
    # Get resource usage
    CPU_USAGE=$(ps -p $SERVER_PID -o %cpu --no-headers)
    MEM_USAGE=$(ps -p $SERVER_PID -o %mem --no-headers)
    
    log_message "INFO: Server running - PID: $SERVER_PID, CPU: ${CPU_USAGE}%, Memory: ${MEM_USAGE}%"
    
    # Check if resource usage is too high
    if (( $(echo "$CPU_USAGE > 80" | bc -l) )); then
        log_message "WARNING: High CPU usage detected: ${CPU_USAGE}%"
    fi
    
    if (( $(echo "$MEM_USAGE > 80" | bc -l) )); then
        log_message "WARNING: High memory usage detected: ${MEM_USAGE}%"
    fi
fi

# Check disk space
DISK_USAGE=$(df /home/fivem-server | awk 'NR==2 {print $5}' | sed 's/%//')
if [ $DISK_USAGE -gt 85 ]; then
    log_message "WARNING: High disk usage: ${DISK_USAGE}%"
fi

# Check network connections
CONNECTIONS=$(netstat -an | grep :30120 | grep ESTABLISHED | wc -l)
log_message "INFO: Active connections: $CONNECTIONS"

Performance Monitoring

Resource Monitoring 
# Install monitoring tools
sudo apt install htop iotop nethogs

# Create performance monitoring alias
echo "alias fivem-monitor='watch -n 1 \"ps aux | grep FXServer | head -10; echo; netstat -tuln | grep 30120; echo; df -h\"'" >> ~/.bashrc

# FiveM-specific monitoring command
fivem-perf() {
    echo "=== FiveM Server Performance ==="
    echo "Players Online: $(echo 'status' | nc localhost 30120 | grep -o 'players.*' || echo 'Unable to connect')"
    echo "CPU Usage: $(ps -p $(pgrep FXServer) -o %cpu --no-headers 2>/dev/null || echo 'N/A')%"
    echo "Memory Usage: $(ps -p $(pgrep FXServer) -o %mem --no-headers 2>/dev/null || echo 'N/A')%"
    echo "Uptime: $(ps -p $(pgrep FXServer) -o etime --no-headers 2>/dev/null || echo 'N/A')"
}

Automated Alerts

Discord Webhook Alert 
#!/bin/bash
# Discord webhook alerting script

WEBHOOK_URL="https://discord.com/api/webhooks/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL"

send_alert() {
    local message="$1"
    local color="$2"  # 16711680 for red, 65280 for green, 16776960 for yellow
    
    curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         -X POST \
         -d "{
             \"embeds\": [{
                 \"title\": \"FiveM Server Alert\",
                 \"description\": \"$message\",
                 \"color\": $color,
                 \"timestamp\": \"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)\"
             }]
         }" \
         $WEBHOOK_URL
}

# Usage examples:
# send_alert "Server is down!" 16711680
# send_alert "Server restarted successfully" 65280
# send_alert "High CPU usage detected" 16776960

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Server Won't Start

Diagnostics 
# Check server logs
tail -f /var/log/fivem/server.log

# Check for port conflicts
netstat -tuln | grep 30120
sudo lsof -i :30120

# Verify file permissions
ls -la /home/fivem-server/
chown -R fivem:fivem /home/fivem-server/

# Check server configuration
./FXServer.exe +exec server.cfg  # Windows
./run.sh +exec server.cfg       # Linux

Connection Issues

Network Diagnostics 
# Test connectivity
nc -zv your-server-ip 30120

# Check firewall rules
sudo ufw status
sudo iptables -L -n

# Verify DNS resolution
nslookup your-domain.com
dig your-domain.com

# Test from different locations
curl -I http://your-domain.com:30120

Database Connection Issues

MySQL Diagnostics 
# Test MySQL connection
mysql -u fivem_user -p -h localhost fivem_db

# Check MySQL status
sudo systemctl status mysql
sudo mysqladmin -u root -p status

# View MySQL logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

# Check process list
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW PROCESSLIST;"

High Resource Usage

Performance Analysis 
# Monitor resource usage
htop
iotop -a

# Check for resource-heavy processes
ps aux --sort=-%cpu | head -10
ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -10

# FiveM resource profiling (in-game console)
profiler record 30
profiler view
resmon

# Check for script errors in console
exec server.cfg

Log Analysis

Log Analysis Commands 
# Search for errors in logs
grep -i error /var/log/fivem/server.log | tail -20

# Monitor live logs
tail -f /var/log/fivem/server.log | grep -E "(ERROR|WARNING|FATAL)"

# Analyze connection patterns
grep "Connected" /var/log/fivem/server.log | awk '{print $1, $2}' | sort | uniq -c

# Check for suspicious activity
grep -i "flood\|attack\|ban" /var/log/fivem/server.log

# Generate log statistics
awk '/ERROR/ {errors++} /WARNING/ {warnings++} END {print "Errors:", errors, "Warnings:", warnings}' /var/log/fivem/server.log

Emergency Recovery Procedures

Emergency Procedures

  1. Server Crash Recovery:
    • Check system logs: journalctl -xe
    • Verify disk space: df -h
    • Restart services: systemctl restart fivem
  2. Database Recovery:
    • Backup current database
    • Check for corruption: mysqlcheck --all-databases
    • Restore from backup if necessary
  3. Network Attack Response:
    • Enable Cloudflare "Under Attack" mode
    • Block malicious IPs: ufw deny from [IP]
    • Increase rate limiting temporarily