How to set up a FiveM server from scratch on Ubuntu Linux

Running a FiveM server on Linux is cheaper in resources than on Windows and gains stability on long uptimes, but it requires understanding a few platform-specific details: the official artifacts ship as a tarball, CFX requires a license key tied to the IP, and the default port must be open on TCP and UDP — forgetting one of the two is the number one cause of “server does not show up in the list”.

This tutorial covers a from-scratch install on an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS VPS, from the dedicated user up to the server accepting connections. The persona is a new server owner migrating away from a managed host to a Linux VPS who needs to understand what each piece does.

Estimated time: 20 to 30 minutes on a reasonable VPS, including artifact download.

Prerequisites

Before starting, write down the access details you will use throughout the tutorial. On a freshly provisioned Hostini VPS, they arrive in the welcome email:

Confirm the system version before proceeding:

lsb_release -a

The output should show Description: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or similar. If you are on an older release (20.04, 22.04), the tutorial still works — only the package commands may vary slightly.

Create a dedicated user for the server

Running FiveM as root is unsafe: any flaw in a poorly written resource becomes full administrative access to the machine. Creating a separate user takes 30 seconds and isolates the blast radius.

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" fivem

sudo su - fivem

Install system dependencies

FiveM on Linux requires a few system libraries that are not installed by default on Ubuntu Server. Missing any of them results in a generic “segmentation fault” error at startup, which is hard to diagnose.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y xz-utils curl screen libssl3 ca-certificates

Download the official artifacts

CFX publishes Linux server builds at runtime.fivem.net. Each build has a unique hash and is incremental. For production, always use the recommended branch.

sudo su - fivem
mkdir -p ~/server ~/server-data
cd ~/server

curl -sLo fx.tar.xz https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/15601-COMMIT_HASH/fx.tar.xz
tar xf fx.tar.xz
rm fx.tar.xz

Generate the license key

Since 2018 CFX has required a license key for any server — without it the server boots but rejects every connection with an authentication error. The key is free and tied to the machine’s public IP.

Configure server.cfg

The server.cfg file defines the name, slot count, license key, loaded resources and ports. We will start from the official template and adjust only the minimum required for the server to boot.

cd ~/server-data
git clone https://github.com/citizenfx/cfx-server-data.git .

nano server.cfg

sv_hostname "My FiveM Server"
sv_maxclients 32
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

Open the firewall ports

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with ufw installed but inactive. Before enabling the firewall, allow SSH so you do not lock yourself out, then open the FiveM port.

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30120/udp
sudo ufw enable

Boot the server

With the config ready and the firewall open, it is time for the first boot.

sudo su - fivem
screen -S fivem
cd ~/server-data
bash ~/server/run.sh +exec server.cfg

Verification

Confirm that the server is responding on the port and reachable externally.

From the VPS itself, test locally:

curl -s http://localhost:30120/info.json

The response should be a JSON containing vars, enhancedHostSupport and resources. If it comes back empty or returns Connection refused, the server has not finished booting or has crashed — go back to the screen and check the log.

From another machine, open the FiveM client and connect by direct IP:

YOUR_VPS_IP:30120

If it connects, the server is operational and visible to CFX. Within 5 minutes or so it also appears in the public list when filtered by name.

Troubleshooting

Server boots but does not appear in the public list

Almost always it is blocked UDP. Confirm with sudo ufw status that the 30120/udp rule is active. On some providers there is an edge firewall in addition to the host’s UFW — check the provider panel.

Error “Server license key invalid”

The key is tied to an IP different from the current one. Go to keymaster, edit the existing key and update the IP to the VPS one.

Server gets killed after a few minutes

Out of RAM. Run free -h and check if swap is exhausted. Vanilla FiveM needs at least 2 GB free; with a roleplay framework, plan on 8 GB.

Next steps

With the base server operational, consider:

• Migrate from screen to systemd: creates a service unit that restarts the server after a crash and survives host reboots.
• Set up automated backups of server-data/ to external storage — losing the framework’s database is expensive.
• Install a framework (ESX, QBCore, vRP) on top of the vanilla server, depending on the type of gameplay.
• Add a reverse proxy with nginx or caddy to serve the server’s status panel over HTTPS.
• Monitor CPU and RAM with basic tools like htop or a dedicated metrics agent.

If you are putting this into production, it is worth considering a VPS optimized for game servers — machines with high single-thread CPU clocks, a static IP and protection against saturation attacks, which is the typical weak point of FiveM servers exposed to the internet.