FiveM server will not start or players cannot connect

The FiveM console is unusually helpful. Read it first, then work through this list.

1. Licence key errors

• A missing or invalid sv_licenseKey stops the server accepting players.
• A key already in use elsewhere is refused. Each running server needs its own key.
• Create or check the key on the FiveM keymaster site with your own account, using the IP shown for your service.
• Paste it into server.cfg, save, and start the server.

2. A resource fails to start

1. Read the console. The failing resource is named, along with the file and line.
2. Confirm the folder in resources contains fxmanifest.lua directly, not inside another folder.
3. Check the ensure line spells the folder name exactly.
4. Check the load order. A script that needs a framework must be ensured after it.

3. The server starts and immediately stops

• A syntax error in server.cfg stops the boot. The console names the line.
• A resource that crashes on load can take the server with it. Comment out the last ensure line you added and start again.
• If the console shows the process being killed rather than a script error, the server ran out of memory. Reduce your resource load or move to a larger plan.

4. Players cannot connect

• Give them the direct connect address rather than relying on the server list.
• Check sv_maxclients.
• A client on a different FiveM build can be refused. Ask them to update the FiveM client, and restart the server after an update so it is current too.
• Players who are dropped part way through the first join are usually failing on a large resource download. Watch the console during their attempt.

5. Database problems

Framework resources need a database. Create one in the Databases section of the panel, then set the connection details exactly as the framework documentation describes. A wrong host, user or password shows up in the console as a connection error from the database resource, not as a FiveM error.

Open a ticket from Support in the Client Area with the last 50 lines of console output if none of this fits.