How to Run a FiveM Server Using Docker: Complete Setup Guide

Create the base structure:

mkdir -p fivem-server/{server-data/resources,txData,backups}
cd fivem-server

The Dockerfile

The Dockerfile builds a minimal image that downloads the latest FiveM server artifacts and sets up the runtime environment:

FROM debian:12-slim

ARG FIVEM_VERSION=latest

RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
        ca-certificates \
        curl \
        xz-utils \
        libatomic1 \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

RUN mkdir -p /opt/fivem /txData

# Download and extract FiveM server artifacts
RUN DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s "https://changelogs-live.fivem.net/api/changelog/versions/linux/server" \
    | grep -oP '"latest":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | grep -oP 'https[^"]*') \
    && curl -Lo /tmp/fx-server.tar.xz "$DOWNLOAD_URL" \
    && tar -xf /tmp/fx-server.tar.xz -C /opt/fivem --strip-components=1 \
    && rm /tmp/fx-server.tar.xz

WORKDIR /opt/fivem

# FiveM game port (UDP + TCP)
EXPOSE 30120/tcp
EXPOSE 30120/udp

# txAdmin web interface
EXPOSE 40120/tcp

ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/fivem/run.sh"]
CMD ["+exec", "/server-data/server.cfg"]

Build the image:

docker build -t fivem-server:latest .

The image weighs approximately 200-300 MB — significantly smaller than a full Ubuntu install with the same dependencies.

Docker Compose Configuration

Docker Compose defines how your container runs, including port mappings, volume mounts, resource limits, and restart behavior. This is where the operational advantages of Docker become tangible.

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  fivem:
    build: .
    image: fivem-server:latest
    container_name: fivem-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    stdin_open: true
    tty: true

    ports:
      - "30120:30120/tcp"
      - "30120:30120/udp"
      - "40120:40120/tcp"  # txAdmin

    volumes:
      - ./server-data:/server-data
      - ./txData:/txData

    environment:
      - TXADMIN_PORT=40120

    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 8G
        reservations:
          memory: 4G

    logging:
      driver: json-file
      options:
        max-size: "50m"
        max-file: "5"

Key decisions in this configuration:

• restart: unless-stopped ensures the server comes back after crashes or host reboots without restarting containers you intentionally stopped.
• Volume mounts keep your server data and txAdmin configuration outside the container. Rebuilding or updating the image never touches your data.
• Memory limits prevent a resource leak or poorly written script from consuming all host RAM and crashing other services.
• Log rotation prevents Docker logs from filling your disk over time — a common issue on long-running game servers.

Server Configuration

Create your server-data/server.cfg with the essential directives:

# Server Identity
sv_hostname "My Docker FiveM Server"
sv_projectName "My Server"
sv_projectDesc "A containerized FiveM server"
sets sv_projectName "My Server"

# License and Authentication
sv_licenseKey "your-license-key-here"
sv_maxclients 32

# Network
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

# Security
sv_scriptHookAllowed 0
set steam_webApiKey ""

# txAdmin
set txAdminPort 40120

# Resources
ensure mapmanager
ensure spawnmanager
ensure sessionmanager
ensure basic-gamemode
ensure hardcap
ensure chat
ensure monitor

Replace your-license-key-here with your actual Cfx.re license key. You can generate one at keymaster.fivem.net.

Starting the Server

Launch the server with a single command:

docker compose up -d

Monitor the startup process:

docker compose logs -f fivem

You should see the FiveM server initializing, loading resources, and eventually displaying the server startup message. txAdmin will be accessible at http://your-server-ip:40120 once the container is running.

To stop the server gracefully:

docker compose down

To restart after configuration changes:

docker compose restart fivem

txAdmin Setup Inside Docker

When you access http://your-server-ip:40120 for the first time, txAdmin walks you through the initial setup wizard:

1. Create your txAdmin admin account (separate from your Cfx.re account)
2. Link your Cfx.re account for license validation
3. Select the server data path — point it to /server-data
4. Choose your server template or point to your existing server.cfg

The txAdmin data directory (/txData) is mounted as a volume, so your admin accounts, player bans, scheduled restarts, and backups persist across container rebuilds.

Adding Resources and Scripts

Install scripts into your server-data/resources/ directory on the host machine. Changes are immediately visible inside the container because of the volume mount — no rebuild required.

# Example: Install a resource from GitHub
cd server-data/resources/
git clone https://github.com/example/my-resource.git

# Then add to server.cfg
echo 'ensure my-resource' >> ../server.cfg

Restart the server to load new resources:

docker compose restart fivem

For a curated collection of FiveM scripts and mods, browse our free mods library or the premium shop for production-ready resources with guaranteed compatibility.

Persistent Storage and Backups

Docker volumes ensure your data survives container restarts, updates, and rebuilds. The two critical directories are:

• ./server-data: Your server configuration, resources, and any file-based data
• ./txData: txAdmin configuration, player database, ban lists, and admin accounts

Automate backups with a simple cron job:

# Add to crontab (crontab -e)
0 4 * * * cd /path/to/fivem-server && tar -czf backups/backup-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz server-data/ txData/ --exclude='server-data/cache'

This creates a daily compressed backup at 4 AM, excluding the cache directory which can be regenerated. Rotate old backups to prevent disk fill:

# Keep last 14 days of backups
find /path/to/fivem-server/backups -name "backup-*.tar.gz" -mtime +14 -delete

Updating the FiveM Server

Updating a Dockerized FiveM server is clean and predictable. Your server data stays untouched — only the server artifacts change:

# Rebuild the image with latest artifacts
docker compose build --no-cache fivem

# Restart with the new image
docker compose up -d fivem

If something breaks after an update, rolling back is instant:

# Tag your current working image before updating
docker tag fivem-server:latest fivem-server:backup

# If the update causes issues, revert
docker tag fivem-server:backup fivem-server:latest
docker compose up -d fivem

This rollback capability alone makes Docker worth the setup effort. On a bare-metal server, reverting a bad update means manually restoring files and hoping you didn't miss anything.

Running Multiple Servers

One of Docker's strongest advantages for FiveM hosting is running multiple isolated server instances on a single host. Each server gets its own container, ports, and data:

services:
  fivem-main:
    build: .
    container_name: fivem-main
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "30120:30120/tcp"
      - "30120:30120/udp"
      - "40120:40120/tcp"
    volumes:
      - ./servers/main/server-data:/server-data
      - ./servers/main/txData:/txData
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 8G

  fivem-test:
    build: .
    container_name: fivem-test
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "30121:30120/tcp"
      - "30121:30120/udp"
      - "40121:40120/tcp"
    volumes:
      - ./servers/test/server-data:/server-data
      - ./servers/test/txData:/txData
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 4G

Start both servers:

docker compose up -d

Each server is completely isolated. You can test scripts on the test server without risking your production environment.

Database Integration

Most FiveM servers need a MySQL or MariaDB database for frameworks like ESX, QBCore, or QBox. Add it to your docker-compose.yml:

services:
  fivem:
    build: .
    container_name: fivem-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
    ports:
      - "30120:30120/tcp"
      - "30120:30120/udp"
      - "40120:40120/tcp"
    volumes:
      - ./server-data:/server-data
      - ./txData:/txData
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          memory: 8G

  db:
    image: mariadb:11
    container_name: fivem-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: "change-this-strong-password"
      MYSQL_DATABASE: "fivem"
      MYSQL_USER: "fivem"
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: "change-this-too"
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"
    volumes:
      - db-data:/var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  db-data:

In your resource database configuration (e.g., oxmysql or mysql-async), use db as the hostname since Docker Compose creates an internal network where containers can reach each other by service name:

set mysql_connection_string "mysql://fivem:change-this-too@db:3306/fivem?charset=utf8mb4"

Production Hardening

Before exposing your Dockerized FiveM server to players, apply these production best practices:

Firewall Rules

Only expose the ports you actually need:

# Allow FiveM game traffic
sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30120/udp

# Allow txAdmin (restrict to your IP if possible)
sudo ufw allow from YOUR_IP to any port 40120

# Block everything else
sudo ufw enable

Health Checks

Add a health check to your docker-compose.yml so Docker can detect and restart a stuck server:

services:
  fivem:
    # ... other config
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:30120/info.json"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 60s

Resource Monitoring

Monitor your container's resource usage:

# Real-time stats
docker stats fivem-server

# Detailed inspection
docker inspect fivem-server --format='{{.State.Status}} - Memory: {{.HostConfig.Memory}}'

Set up alerts when memory or CPU usage exceeds thresholds to catch problems before players notice them.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Container exits immediately after starting: Check the logs with docker compose logs fivem. Common causes: invalid license key, missing server.cfg, or port conflicts. Verify your license key is correct and no other process is using port 30120.

Cannot connect to the server: Ensure ports 30120/tcp and 30120/udp are open in your firewall and correctly mapped in docker-compose.yml. Test with docker compose port fivem 30120 to verify the mapping.

txAdmin not accessible: Verify port 40120 is exposed and not blocked by a firewall. Check that the TXADMIN_PORT environment variable matches the exposed port.

Resources not loading after adding them: Volume mounts sync automatically, but FiveM needs a restart to detect new resources. Run docker compose restart fivem and ensure the resource is listed in server.cfg with ensure.

Database connection refused: If using Docker Compose networking, use the service name (e.g., db) as the hostname, not localhost or 127.0.0.1. The database container must be running and healthy before FiveM starts — depends_on handles startup order.

For deeper debugging techniques, check our guide on how to debug your FiveM server.

Next Steps

With your FiveM server running in Docker, you have a solid foundation for scaling and maintaining your community. Here are the logical next steps:

• Optimize performance with our FiveM server optimization guide — profiling, script cleanup, and network tuning
• Set up txAdmin with Discord using our txAdmin Discord integration guide for remote server management
• Browse production-ready scripts in our free mods library or premium shop — all tested and maintained
• Scale your community with strategies from our complete server management guide

Docker transforms FiveM server management from manual sysadmin work into reproducible, version-controlled infrastructure. Every configuration change is tracked, every update is reversible, and every backup is predictable. That operational discipline is what separates servers that last from servers that burn out.

Launch faster

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