Setting up your FiveM server: license key, server.cfg, and resources

A FiveM server needs three things to run: a free Cfx.re license key, a working server.cfg, and your resources (scripts, maps, and frameworks). This guide gets all three right so your server boots and shows up in the server list.

1. Generate a Cfx.re license key

Every FiveM server needs a license key from Cfx.re's keymaster — it's free.

1. Go to keymaster.fivem.net and sign in with your Cfx.re (Forum) account.
2. Click New server key / Register.
3. For the IP, you can register a key to your server's IP or generate an unlisted key (fine for most setups). Note: a key is tied to how you register it, so if you ever change servers you may need a new key.
4. Copy the key — it looks like a long random string.

2. Add the key to server.cfg

1. Open your server and click File Manager.

2. Open server.cfg in the root.

3. Find the sv_licenseKey line (or add one) and paste your key:

   sv_licenseKey your_key_here
   

4. Save and restart from the Console tab.

Without a valid key the console will print Invalid license key and the server won't come online.

3. Understand server.cfg

server.cfg is the heart of your server. The lines you'll touch most:

endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

sv_hostname "My ServerPrism FiveM Server"
sv_maxclients 32
sets locale "en-US"

# Load resources
ensure mapmanager
ensure chat
ensure spawnmanager
ensure sessionmanager
ensure my-custom-resource

sv_licenseKey your_key_here

• sv_hostname — your server's name in the FiveM server browser.
• sv_maxclients — player slots (up to 48 on default builds).
• ensure <name> — starts a resource on boot. This is how you enable scripts.

Don't change the endpoint port unless you know your allocation. FiveM's game port is set by your ServerPrism allocation — the default 30120 is correct for most servers. Check the Startup/Network tab if unsure.

4. Add resources

Resources (scripts, maps, frameworks like ESX or QBCore) go in the resources/ folder.

1. Upload the resource folder into resources/ via the File Manager or SFTP (SFTP is better for large frameworks — see File Manager & SFTP).
2. Add an ensure <resource-name> line to server.cfg for each one you want running.
3. Restart. Watch the console — each resource prints Started resource <name> when it loads.

For a full roleplay framework, install its base resources in the order its docs specify (usually a database + core framework first, then dependent scripts).

Databases (ESX/QBCore)

Roleplay frameworks need a MySQL database. Create one on the Databases tab and point the framework's config (usually via mysql_connection_string in server.cfg or a framework config file) at the credentials. See Creating and connecting to a MySQL database.

Same-node database quirk: if your DB and FiveM server are on the same node and the framework can't connect over the public IP, open a support ticket — this is a known networking case we can fix quickly by bridging the containers.

Common issues

• Invalid license key: the key is wrong, expired, or registered to a different IP — regenerate it in keymaster.
• Server not in the browser: it's still booting, sv_hostname isn't set, or a resource is erroring — read the console for the first error.
• A resource fails to start: check the console for the first error line under that resource; it's usually a missing dependency or a database it can't reach.
• ghmattimysql/oxmysql errors: the database connection string is wrong — copy the credentials fresh from the Databases tab.

Still stuck?

Open a support ticket with the first error line from your console and the resource it mentions. We can dig into the config on the node directly.