Short answer. You can host a RedM server yourself for free: download the FXServer build from Cfx.re, clone the cfx-server-data resources, create a free license key at portal.cfx.re, put it in server.cfg with set gamename rdr3, and open port 30120 for both TCP and UDP. Or rent a RedM server and skip the downloads, the firewall and the updates.
The server runs on Linux and Windows and does not need a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2. Players need RDR2 and the RedM client, and join from the RedM server list or with the address you give them.
Checked on 5 November 2026, when Cfx.re's recommended server build was 38317 and the latest was 38343.
This guide uses the Cfx.re server documentation and the setup our RedM servers run. To go straight to the rental route, see Option 2.
What you need
Operating system: Linux or Windows. Cfx.re publishes a Linux build (fx.tar.xz) and a Windows build on its server download page. Cfx.re call the Linux build a courtesy port and say issues are more likely to be fixed on Windows.
Hardware: Cfx.re does not publish one fixed requirement for RedM. What a server needs depends on the resources you run, such as a roleplay framework, jobs and a database.
Network: port 30120 over TCP and UDP, reachable from the internet. It is set by the two endpoint_add lines in server.cfg.
A Cfx.re license key: free, created while signed in at portal.cfx.re. It goes in sv_licenseKey in server.cfg.
Software:xz-utils to unpack the Linux build and Git to fetch the starter resources.
The game: every player needs Red Dead Redemption 2 and RedM. The server machine does not.
The server software is free. You pay for the machine, power and bandwidth, not the software.
Option 1: host it yourself
This works on a spare PC, a home server or a cloud virtual machine. The steps follow Cfx.re's own server manual.
Create a license key at portal.cfx.re and keep it ready.
Write ~/FXServer/server-data/server.cfg. A minimal RedM version:
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"
sv_licenseKey "your-key-here"
sv_maxclients 32
set onesync on
set gamename rdr3
ensure mapmanager
ensure chat
ensure spawnmanager
set gamename rdr3 is what makes it a RedM server: Cfx.re lists gta5 for FiveM and rdr3 for RedM. set onesync on is needed because Cfx.re require OneSync for 32 slots or more. The last three lines start three of the resources in Cfx.re's example config.
Open the port. Allow 30120 over TCP and UDP on the machine's firewall (with ufw: sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp and sudo ufw allow 30120/udp), then forward both on your router to this machine.
Start the server from the server-data folder.
cd ~/FXServer/server-data
bash ~/FXServer/server/run.sh +exec server.cfg
Cfx.re's list of common issues names two mistakes: running the command from the wrong folder (no resources are found), and leaving out +exec server.cfg (no resources start and nobody can connect). Either one can also end in "no license key was specified".
Windows
Download the recommended Windows build from Cfx.re's server download page and extract it into a folder such as C:\FXServer\server (the artifact page offers a .7z file, which opens in a tool such as 7-Zip). Clone cfx-server-data into a separate folder such as C:\FXServer\server-data, write the same server.cfg there, including set gamename rdr3, and allow port 30120 TCP and UDP in Windows Firewall. Then start it from the server-data folder:
cd /d C:\FXServer\server-data
C:\FXServer\server\FXServer.exe +exec server.cfg
Notes on server.cfg
sv_maxclients is the player slot limit. Cfx.re say 32 or more needs onesync set to on or legacy, and more than 64 needs on.
sv_hostname, sv_projectName and sv_projectDesc are marked deprecated in Cfx.re's documentation, which says to set the server name, project name and description in the Cfx.re Portal instead.
ensure <name> starts a resource, or restarts it if it is already running. A resource that is in the resources folder but not named by an ensure line does not start.
Renting removes the downloads, the firewall and the update routine. The port and the config keys are set up for you, and you keep full file access to upload resources.
Pick a plan. Open the RedM server hosting page and compare CATTLEMAN, SCHOFIELD and MAUSER (at the time of writing). Press Create Server on CATTLEMAN or SCHOFIELD, or Customize Plan on MAUSER, and finish the order. Prices change, so check them on that page. We do not ask for your Cfx.re key at checkout.
Create your Cfx.re key. Sign in at portal.cfx.re and create a free license key for your server.
Wait for the install. We email you when it is ready, and the server appears at panel.playnhost.com.
Paste the key. Open the Settings tab and put the key into Cfx.re License Key, then start the server. Until a key is set, the server stops straight away and the Console tab prints a short notice telling you to add it, so a server that "starts and stops" with no key is expected, not broken.
Set the name.Server Hostname is written into sv_hostname, but Cfx.re now mark that setting deprecated and say to set the server name, project name and description in the Cfx.re Portal, so do it there. Leave Steam Web Api Key at none: Cfx.re say steam_webApiKey stopped working on 4 November 2026.
Upload your resources. Put each resource in its own folder under resources with the Files tab or SFTP. Then list the folder names, separated by commas, in Resources started on boot on the Settings tab, and restart.
Watch the console. The panel counts the server as running when the log shows succeeded. Welcome!.
Port and keys. At every start the panel writes your server's port into both endpoint_add lines of server.cfg, plus sv_hostname from Server Hostname and sv_maxclients from Max Players. Hand edits to those four lines are replaced at the next start. Max Players comes from your plan and is read only on the Settings tab. To run with fewer slots, press the pencil next to Slots on the server's Overview tab, which opens Edit Player Slots. The start command also passes +set gamename rdr3 for you.
Resources start by name. RedM only starts the resources the config names. The list in Resources started on boot becomes ensure lines in a marked block at the end of server.cfg, rewritten at every start, so removing a name removes its line. Names with anything other than letters, digits, dot, dash and underscore are refused, and a resource server.cfg already ensures is not started twice. The console warns you if a listed name has no folder.
Updates.Auto-update server (under Show advanced on the Settings tab) is on by default. At each start the server checks the Cfx.re feed for the artifact of the channel set in CFX version (latest by default) and swaps in the new alpine folder whole. Your resources folder and server.cfg are not touched. Cfx.re say unsupported server builds older than three months cannot be joined from the server browser, so keep it on unless you need to hold a build while a resource catches up. A pinned build number is never auto-updated.
Backups. If your plan includes backups, take one from Backups before changing server.cfg by hand.
Self-hosting or renting: an honest comparison
Cost. Self-hosted: the software is free, and you pay for hardware, power and bandwidth, or a cloud virtual machine. Rented: a monthly fee set by plan. See the current plans.
Availability. Self-hosted: as reliable as your machine, power and home internet, and it has to stay on when your players are in. Rented: runs on the host's hardware, not your PC.
Network exposure. Self-hosted: players connect to your public IP, and you look after the firewall and router. Rented: your home IP is not involved.
Skill needed. Self-hosted: command line, port forwarding and config editing. Very doable, and a good way to learn how a RedM server fits together. Rented: a web panel with form fields, with the same file access if you want it.
Updates. Self-hosted: download a new artifact and replace the old one yourself. Rented: Auto-update server does it at each start.
Self-hosting suits you if a machine already runs all day and you are comfortable with networking. Renting suits you if you would rather spend the time on your resources than on the machine.
Common problems and fixes
The server stops right after starting (PlayNHost)
Cause: no Cfx.re license key is set.
Fix: paste the key into Cfx.re License Key on the Settings tab and start again.
"No license key was specified" (self-hosted)
Cause: Cfx.re say one of two mistakes may be behind it: the command was run from the wrong folder, or +exec server.cfg was left out.
Fix: start from the server-data folder with +exec server.cfg, and check sv_licenseKey holds your key.
A resource you uploaded does nothing
Cause: nothing names it. RedM does not start a resource just because its folder exists.
Fix: add an ensure <name> line, or on PlayNHost add the folder name to Resources started on boot and restart.
Yes. FXServer is free to download and a Cfx.re license key is free. You still pay for the machine, power and internet, and it must stay on while people play.
Do I need Red Dead Redemption 2 to run the server?
No. Players need RDR2 and the RedM client. The server does not.
Which port does a RedM server use?
Port 30120 over TCP and UDP in Cfx.re's example config. You can change it in the two endpoint_add lines.
What turns an FXServer into a RedM server?
The setting gamename rdr3. Cfx.re lists gta5 for FiveM and rdr3 for RedM.
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