To back up a FiveM server correctly, stop or quiesce it, copy the complete server data directory and txAdmin’s txData directory, export every external database used by your framework or resources, and store at least one protected copy away from the server host. txAdmin’s built-in player-database backup is useful, but it is not a complete server backup.
A backup is only dependable after you restore it on an isolated instance and verify that resources, player data, permissions, and startup configuration work.
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For a hosted FiveM option, Godlike.Host offers FiveM game servers with its own game panel, free DDoS protection, up to three free backups a day, and SFTP/FTP access. It is not on Cfx.re’s list of authorized FiveM hosts (fivem.net, 10 Oct 2026).
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What a complete FiveM backup contains
A FiveM installation is more than the folder that launches FXServer. Treat the following as one recovery set, with matching timestamps where possible:
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| Backup target | What it contains | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Complete server data directory | Resources, scripts, stream assets, server.cfg, permissions, and other deployment files |
Recreates the running server and its configuration |
txAdmin txData |
txAdmin logs, configurations, and data | Preserves txAdmin state and management history |
| External database | MySQL or MariaDB data used by a framework or resource | Preserves characters, inventories, accounts, and other persistent game data stored outside the files |
| Secrets and deployment metadata | License and configuration values, API tokens, server keys, provider details, and version notes | Allows a rebuild without exposing credentials in the backup itself |
The txAdmin getting-started documentation gives the practical rule for an existing installation: “Back up that folder and your txData before making changes.” In this context, “that folder” is the existing server data folder selected during setup, together with its configuration file.
Keep secrets in a restricted, encrypted record rather than scattering them through a public repository or a support attachment. A file copy that contains server.cfg and a database dump may contain credentials or identifiers even when the files look harmless.
Why txAdmin’s backup tool is not a full server backup
txAdmin is included with FXServer; it is not normally installed as a separate FiveM resource. It provides a self-contained player database and a backup tool for that database. That tool does not automatically capture every resource, your complete server data directory, or an external framework database.
Many recipe-based framework deployments connect to MySQL or MariaDB. Those records are outside txAdmin’s own player database and must be exported with the native dump utility for the database engine and provider you use. The exact command depends on the engine, host, port, credentials, and backup permissions, so use the syntax documented by that provider instead of copying a command intended for a different setup.
Run both kinds of backup when they apply: use txAdmin’s player-database backup for its own data, and make a separate file-level copy plus an external database dump for the rest of the server.
Find the directories before you copy anything
Identify the server data directory
Use the existing server profile and startup configuration to identify the folder that contains your resources and server.cfg. Do not assume that the directory containing the FXServer executable is the data directory; hosted layouts often separate artifacts from server data.
Confirm that the folder you select includes the resources actually started by server.cfg, any stream assets, permission files, and deployment-specific files created by your recipes or scripts. If you maintain more than one profile, record each profile separately instead of silently combining them.
Locate txData
txAdmin documents the TXHOST_DATA_PATH environment setting as the configurable location of the txData folder, which contains “the txAdmin logs, configs, and data.” The default is platform-dependent:
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- Windows: the default is a path under the parent directory of the FXServer artifact.
- Linux: the default is a path under the directory that contains
run.sh. - Managed hosts: the provider may set a different location. Inspect its startup configuration or control panel rather than applying a local default.
If TXHOST_DATA_PATH is set, back up the directory it points to. If it is not set, inspect the actual host layout and confirm the path from txAdmin’s startup output or provider documentation. Include the whole directory, not only a log subfolder.
Inventory external databases
Read server.cfg, framework configuration, and resource documentation to list every external database in use. A single server can have more than one database or schema. Record the engine (for example, MySQL or MariaDB), database name, host, and the account permitted to perform a consistent export, but store passwords in a protected secret record rather than in the inventory document.
Prepare a consistent backup
File copies made while resources are writing can contain a mixture of old and new state. Database dumps made during active transactions can have a different point in time from the copied scripts and configuration. For a recovery set you can trust, create a short maintenance window.
- Announce maintenance. Tell players and administrators when the server will be unavailable and how long the window is expected to last.
- Stop the server or quiesce writes. The safest option is a clean FXServer shutdown through your normal txAdmin or service-control procedure. If your operational process supports a true read-only or no-write mode, use it and verify that resources have stopped changing files and database rows.
- Record the point in time. Note the UTC timestamp, server profile, FXServer artifact version, framework and recipe versions, and the operator who created the copy.
- Verify free space. The destination must hold the complete data directory, txData, and the database dump, with room for the archive or second copy. A failed copy that silently runs out of space is not a backup.
- Keep the txAdmin backup password private. The official setup flow asks the owner to set one during txAdmin registration. Store it in your restricted administrator record, not in a public issue or chat message.
Step-by-step backup procedure
1. Create a dated recovery folder
On a disk different from the live server volume, create a folder named with an unambiguous UTC timestamp and server profile, such as a date followed by the profile name. Keep the naming scheme consistent so an operator can identify which files and database dump belong together.
2. Copy the complete server data directory
Copy the directory recursively, preserving subdirectories and file contents. Include server.cfg, permissions, resources, scripts, stream assets, and any deployment files generated by your recipes. Do not copy only the resources folder: omitting configuration or permissions can leave a restored server unable to start or grant the correct access.
After the copy finishes, compare the source and destination file counts or use your operating system’s archive verification feature. The goal is to detect an interrupted or partial transfer before the live server is changed again.
3. Copy the entire txData directory
Copy the directory selected through TXHOST_DATA_PATH or confirmed from the host layout. Preserve its directory structure, including txAdmin logs, configuration, and data. If you operate several server profiles under one host, label which txData set belongs to each profile and avoid overwriting another profile’s copy.
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4. Export every external database
With the server stopped or writes quiesced, run the provider’s native logical-dump procedure for each MySQL or MariaDB database. Save the dump in the same dated recovery folder and make its timestamp align as closely as possible with the file and txData copies. Include the engine and schema names in the backup manifest.
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Do not assume a txAdmin player-database export includes framework tables. Check the resulting dump for the expected schemas or tables using the database provider’s verification tools, without editing the production database.
5. Use txAdmin’s player-database backup where applicable
If your server uses txAdmin’s self-contained player database, create its backup through the txAdmin interface and place the resulting artifact with the dated recovery set. Keep the backup password private and document which txAdmin instance produced the file. This artifact supplements, rather than replaces, the server-directory and external-database copies.
6. Write a manifest
For each recovery set, record:
- UTC creation time and maintenance window
- Server profile and host name
- FXServer artifact, framework, recipe, and major resource versions
- Source paths for the server data directory and
txData - Database engine, host, database or schema names, and dump filenames
- Whether txAdmin’s player database was exported
- Where the second copy is stored and who can access it
Keep the manifest free of passwords and tokens. It should tell an operator what to restore, not reveal how to authenticate to production.
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A single backup on the same machine is vulnerable to disk failure, accidental deletion, filesystem corruption, and host compromise. Make at least one additional copy on a different disk or host.
| Approach | Coverage | Consistency | Recovery speed | Durability and controls | Restore-test effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second local disk | Can hold the complete directory, txData, and dumps | As good as the original copy if writes were stopped | Fast on the same machine or site | Protects against one disk failure, but not a host-wide incident; restrict permissions | Moderate |
| External USB hard drive or SSD | Full recovery set | Depends on the maintenance window used for the source copy | Usually fast to attach and read locally | Keep it disconnected or access-controlled when not copying; encrypt it if supported | Moderate |
| Encrypted cloud or object storage | Full recovery set, including database dumps | Depends on the same quiesced source snapshot | Limited by download bandwidth and provider availability | Off-site durability, encryption, role-based access, and lifecycle retention are available when configured | Higher, because a full download and isolated rebuild should be tested |
| txAdmin player-database backup only | txAdmin’s self-contained player database | Captures that database, not every server file or external schema | Useful for that database alone | Insufficient as the only recovery copy | Low for the artifact, but it cannot rebuild the server |
Use more than one generation. If the newest copy is corrupted or a deletion is synchronized to every destination, an older generation may be the only usable recovery point. A practical rotation can retain recent copies for routine mistakes and older monthly or milestone copies for longer-lived corruption; choose periods that match how often your server changes and how much storage you can protect.
Protect backups and credentials
Configuration files and database dumps can contain connection strings, license values, identifiers, API tokens, or server keys. Treat every recovery set as sensitive production data.
- Encrypt off-host storage and the removable drive when the platform supports it.
- Restrict read and write access to the administrators who need recovery capability.
- Keep the encryption key, database credentials, and txAdmin backup password in a separate protected secret store or administrator record.
- Never place credentials in a public repository, a forum post, or a support request.
- When an administrator leaves, rotate credentials that were present in old configuration files or dumps.
Encryption does not compensate for lost keys. Document who can retrieve the keys during an outage and test that process without exposing the secrets to ordinary operators.
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A successful copy operation proves only that bytes were read and written. A restore drill proves that those bytes describe a usable server.
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- Provision an isolated host or server profile. Keep it off the public player endpoint and use separate database credentials. Do not point a test profile at production tables.
- Install the matching FXServer artifact. Use the artifact version recorded in the manifest, or document any intentional version change.
- Restore the server data directory. Place the copied resources, scripts, stream assets,
server.cfg, permissions, and deployment files in the profile’s data location. - Restore
txData. Use the same path setting or an explicitly mapped test path. Confirm txAdmin can read its restored configuration and data. - Restore the database into an isolated schema or instance. Import the MySQL or MariaDB dump with the provider’s documented restore procedure. Never overwrite production while testing.
- Restore the txAdmin player database artifact if used. Supply the private backup password and verify that the expected player records are present.
- Start the isolated server and inspect logs. Check startup configuration, resource loading, permissions, database connections, and errors before allowing any test connection.
- Exercise representative functions. Verify that a test account can load its expected player data, resources can read their tables, and administrators retain the intended permissions.
- Record the result. Note the restore date, backup generation, artifact versions, failures, and corrective actions. Update the procedure when the host layout or framework changes.
Recipe tasks can download resources, write files, connect to databases, and execute queries. Read a recipe before running it, and create a recovery set first. Do not run destructive recipe tasks against production data merely to prove that a restore works.
Recover after a disk failure
When the live disk fails, prioritize a controlled rebuild rather than copying unknown files into a new host.
- Secure the incident. Keep the failed host offline if compromise or filesystem corruption is possible. Preserve logs and note the last known good backup generation.
- Select the newest verified recovery set. Prefer a generation that passed an isolated restore drill, not merely the newest untested copy.
- Provision replacement storage or a new host. Apply operating-system updates and restrict network access while rebuilding.
- Recreate the directory layout. Install the recorded FXServer artifact and place the restored server data directory and txData at the paths expected by the startup configuration.
- Restore databases separately. Import each MySQL or MariaDB dump into a new database instance, then update configuration to use the new endpoint and credentials. Restore txAdmin’s player database artifact when applicable.
- Validate in isolation. Start with the endpoint closed to players, inspect logs, test resource and player-data behavior, and confirm permissions.
- Rotate exposed secrets. If the failed disk, old host, or backup media may have been accessed, replace database passwords, API tokens, license-related secrets, and server keys before going live.
- Cut over deliberately. Announce the restored timestamp and any player-data gap, then direct traffic to the rebuilt host only after the checks pass.
Troubleshooting common backup failures
The restored server starts but resources fail
Check that the complete server data directory was copied, not only selected resources. Compare server.cfg, permissions, stream assets, and any generated deployment files with the manifest. A missing configuration file or permission entry can look like a resource failure.
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Confirm that the restored directory is the one selected by TXHOST_DATA_PATH or the host’s startup configuration. A correct copy placed at the wrong path causes txAdmin to initialize a new data directory. Restore the entire directory structure, not just logs.
Player characters or inventories are missing
Determine whether that data lived in txAdmin’s self-contained player database or an external MySQL/MariaDB database. Restore the corresponding artifact. A txAdmin player-database backup cannot recreate framework tables that were stored externally.
The database dump imports with errors
Use the dump and restore utility that matches the database engine and provider. Verify credentials, server version compatibility, character encoding, and available disk space in the isolated target. Never “fix” an uncertain dump by experimenting on production; create a fresh export after writes are quiesced.
The backup works locally but not off-host
Check that the off-host transfer included hidden files, nested directories, database dumps, and the manifest. Verify encryption keys and access permissions, then perform a complete download and restore test rather than checking only that filenames exist.
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- Server writes were stopped or safely quiesced.
- The complete server data directory was copied.
- The configured or confirmed
txDatadirectory was copied. - Every external MySQL/MariaDB database was dumped.
- txAdmin’s player-database backup was created when that database is in use.
- Artifact, framework, recipe, profile, and timestamp details were recorded.
- At least one copy is on a different disk or host.
- Backups and secrets have separate access controls.
- More than one generation is retained.
- A recent generation has passed an isolated restore drill.
Bottom line
The minimum dependable FiveM recovery set is the complete server data directory plus txAdmin’s txData, with separate dumps for every external framework or resource database. Stop or quiesce writes, align timestamps, keep local and off-host encrypted copies, protect credentials, and regularly rebuild an isolated instance from those artifacts. txAdmin’s player-database backup is an additional safeguard—not a substitute for backing up the server files and external databases.
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