FiveM Server Basics

This guide focuses on organization and maintainability. It does not require a specific framework.

Understand the server data folder

A typical FiveM server data directory contains server.cfg and a resources directory. Resources are folders containing an fxmanifest.lua (or older __resource.lua) and the files that resource needs.

Tip: Back up your server before reorganizing an existing production server.

Organize resources with bracket folders

FiveM supports category folders wrapped in square brackets. The brackets are part of the folder name.

resources/
├── [core]/
├── [standalone]/
├── [kruiger]/
├── [maps]/
├── [vehicles]/
├── [eup]/
└── [voice]/

A bracket folder is an organizational container. Put complete resource folders inside it.

resources/
└── [kruiger]/
    ├── KruigerHandsUp/
    │   ├── fxmanifest.lua
    │   ├── client.lua
    │   └── config.lua
    └── KruigerDV/
        ├── fxmanifest.lua
        └── client.lua

Do not put the files from multiple resources directly into [kruiger].

Start resources

You can start one resource:

ensure KruigerHandsUp

Or ensure a category:

ensure [kruiger]

For a new server, explicit ensure lines are often easier to troubleshoot because you can see the intended order. Category ensures are useful when a group is independent and intentionally managed together.

Choose a predictable order

Start dependencies before resources that use them. A clean layout might be:

# Core / framework
ensure [core]

# Voice
ensure [voice]

# Standalone resources
ensure [standalone]

# Kruiger Labs
ensure [kruiger]

# Maps and assets
ensure [maps]
ensure [vehicles]

Your exact order depends on your resources and framework.

Keep names stable

Renaming a resource can break exports, dependencies, configuration, or code that refers to the resource by name. Keep the distributed resource name unless its documentation explicitly says renaming is supported.

Next steps

Continue with Organizing Resources, Cleaning server.cfg, Multiple CFG Files, and ACE Permissions.

Document status

Last reviewed: September 2026
Version note: Use the instructions that match your installed product/resource version. When behavior differs from your release, check its release notes before changing production configuration.