Move a FiveM serverTake resources, database and configuration with you

Published on September 2, 2026 · last updated on November 4, 2026

What actually moves

Before you download anything, it is worth looking at the three components - they are handled differently:

• The resources folder. Your framework, all scripts, vehicles, MLOs and HUDs. Moves as a whole.
• The database. Characters, vehicles, inventories, jobs, bank accounts, properties. Moves as an SQL export.
• The server.cfg. Comes along, but has to be adjusted in two places: database connection and license key.

You do not need to move the server files themselves - your new server brings the FXServer build, and with us, you choose which one you use in the server settings.

Step 1: back up everything at the old provider

Stop the old server before you back up - that guarantees the database contains no half-written state and nobody quickly buys a vehicle that will be missing later.

1. Download resources. Pull the complete folder via FTP or SFTP. For large RP servers, that is quickly several gigabytes, mainly because of the stream directories with vehicles and MLOs - allow time for it.
2. Export the database. In phpMyAdmin or a comparable tool, export the complete database as .sql. Choose the export including structure and data.
3. Back up the server.cfg. The file usually sits next to the resources folder. Take it along, even if you have to adjust it - it contains your entire load order.

If your old provider does not offer phpMyAdmin: almost every provider at least hands out login details with which you can connect via a database tool and take the export yourself.

Step 2: import the database

The database comes before the resources, because a framework will not start cleanly without it anyway. With us, you find phpMyAdmin directly in the game server panel: select the database, open the "Import" tab, upload the .sql file, run it.

With large exports, the browser's upload limit kicks in at some point. Two ways around it: upload the file compressed (phpMyAdmin accepts .sql.gz and .zip) or split the export into several files. More on handling the database is in set up the database.

Step 3: upload the resources

You upload the backed-up resources folder via WebFTP in the browser or with an SFTP client. For several gigabytes, an SFTP client is the much better choice: it uploads in parallel and resumes an interrupted transfer.

Make sure to keep the folder structure exactly - including the square brackets. Directories such as [core] or [jobs] are not cosmetic; FXServer treats them as category folders. Details in install resources.

Step 4: adjust the server.cfg

Now comes the part where most moves get stuck. Three lines have to be right:

• Database connection. The connection string of your connector (usually oxmysql) contains host, user, password and database name - all four now come from us.
• License key. Keys from the Cfx.re Portal are no longer tied to a server address - so you can take your existing one along. If it still comes from the Keymaster, which has since been shut down, or if you want to keep the live server and the migration server cleanly apart, generate a new one in the portal, see Cfx.re license key.
• Endpoints and port. The lines with endpoint_add_tcp and endpoint_add_udp have to point to the port of your new server.

With us, you edit the server.cfg directly in the config editor - changes take effect after a restart. What else is in the file is explained in server.cfg explained.

Step 5: first start and check

Start the server and keep the live console open. It is the most important tool of all during a move, because every missing building block shows up there:

• Messages about resources that cannot be found point to an incomplete upload.
• Database errors at startup almost always mean: wrong connection string or empty database.
• If the start aborts with a license error, the key does not match the server.

Once the server runs, it is best to check with a character of your own whether vehicles, inventory and job have been preserved. Only then do you pass the new address on to your community - and only then do you cancel with your old provider. A few days of overlap are worth the money.

Bring your community along

Technically, the move is done; in practice, the most important part is still missing: your players need to know the new address. Announce the switch a few days in advance, post a short maintenance notice on moving day and show the new server address made up of IP and port visibly on your Discord. Anyone who had the old server as a favorite has to add it again once.

Afterwards, it is worth keeping an eye on the load: a new server never behaves exactly like the old one under load. How to check that is described in server performance.

Frequently asked questions