Migrate an existing FiveM server to VeryCloud

Move your FiveM server from another host (Zap, OVH, third-party host) to a VeryCloud VPS without data loss. Covers migrating artifacts, resources, MySQL database and txAdmin configuration.

Introduction

Migrating a FiveM server can seem intimidating, but it's actually quite simple: everything lives in 2 folders (artifacts + server-data) and 1 MySQL database. This guide details the full procedure, including classic pitfalls (MySQL character sets, absolute paths in config, Cfx.re license).

Prerequisites

• A VeryCloud VPS already ordered (Debian 12 / Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
• Root access to the destination VPS
• SSH or panel access on the old server (Zap, other host)
• An SFTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP

Step 1: Prepare the destination VPS

First follow the FiveM + txAdmin guide to install artifacts, MariaDB and create the fivem user.

At the end of this step, you have:

• /home/fivem/server/: FiveM artifacts
• /home/fivem/server-data/: empty folder (will be replaced)
• MariaDB installed and fivem user created

Step 2: Export the database from the old server

On the old server, open an SSH terminal and export the database:

mysqldump -u OLD_USER -p DATABASE_NAME > fivem-backup.sql

If you're on Zap, phpMyAdmin or a panel, use the Export → SQL feature from the interface.

Download the fivem-backup.sql file locally.

Tip: if the database is very large (>500 MB), compress it before transfer:

gzip fivem-backup.sql

Step 3: Archive the server-data folder

On the old server:

cd /path/to/server-data/..
tar -czf server-data-backup.tar.gz server-data/

Download server-data-backup.tar.gz locally.

On Zap or similar limited-access host, use SFTP to download the entire resources/, cache/, server.cfg folder, etc.

Important note: exclude the cache/ folder from transfer, it will be regenerated on startup. It can be several GB and slow things down unnecessarily.

tar -czf server-data-backup.tar.gz --exclude='server-data/cache' server-data/

Step 4: Transfer files to VeryCloud

From your local machine, use scp or SFTP to upload to the VeryCloud VPS:

scp fivem-backup.sql root@VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP:/tmp/
scp server-data-backup.tar.gz root@VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP:/tmp/

Or via FileZilla/WinSCP on SFTP port 22.

Step 5: Import the database

On the VeryCloud VPS:

sudo mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE fivem CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON fivem.* TO 'fivem'@'localhost';
EXIT;

Import the dump:

sudo mysql -u root -p fivem < /tmp/fivem-backup.sql

Verify:

sudo mysql -u root -p -e "USE fivem; SHOW TABLES;"

Step 6: Restore the server-data folder

sudo su - fivem
cd ~
rm -rf server-data
tar -xzf /tmp/server-data-backup.tar.gz
chown -R fivem:fivem server-data

Step 7: Adapt the configuration

Edit server.cfg:

nano ~/server-data/server.cfg

Modify:

Cfx.re license

The old license is tied to the old IP. Get it from https://keymaster.fivem.net and update the IP in the keymaster panel (Edit button on the key).

OR create a new key with the VeryCloud VPS IP.

sv_licenseKey "your-new-cfx-key"

Absolute paths

If the old config contains absolute paths like /home/zap/..., replace them with the new paths:

grep -r "/home/zap" ~/server-data/
sed -i 's|/home/zap|/home/fivem|g' ~/server-data/server.cfg

Public listing IP

sets sv_listingHostOverride "VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP:30120"

MySQL connection

Look for resources that connect to MySQL (oxmysql, mysql-async, ghmattimysql). The connection is usually defined in:

grep -r "mysql_connection_string\|set mysql" ~/server-data/server.cfg

Adapt:

set mysql_connection_string "server=localhost;database=fivem;userid=fivem;password=SecurePassword!"

Step 8: First startup

Launch txAdmin:

~/server/run.sh

Log in to the txAdmin panel (http://IP:40120) with your existing credentials or create a new account.

Start the server. Inspect the logs: everything should load without errors. If a resource crashes, you'll see the error in the live console.

Step 9: Test from the client

Launch GTA V → FiveM → F8 →:

connect VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP:30120

Check:

• Successful connection
• Your data is there (characters, inventory, money, vehicles)
• Resources work (commands, scripts)

Step 10: Migrate DNS and switch over

If you have a domain pointing to your FiveM server, update the DNS records at your registrar:

A     fivem.your-domain.com    →   VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP

TTL: 300 seconds during migration (for fast propagation).

Once migrated and stable, communicate the new IP / new name to your community.

Step 11: Configure systemd service

For automatic startup (see FiveM + txAdmin guide step 10):

sudo systemctl enable --now fivem

Step 12: Keep the old server on standby (recommended)

Don't delete the old server immediately. Keep it on standby for at least 7 days:

• Lets you recover data in case of problems
• Lets you compare if something doesn't work like before
• Additional safety backup

After a week without issues, you can cancel.

Troubleshooting

Badly encoded characters (é, è, à...)

Import was done with wrong charset. Re-create the database and import with:

mysql -u root -p --default-character-set=utf8mb4 fivem < /tmp/fivem-backup.sql

Resource refuses to start

Compare resource versions with the old server. Often: the installed version isn't the same. Inspect the fxmanifest.lua and check dependencies.

"Couldn't find resource X"

The [local]/ folder or a resource folder wasn't transferred properly. Re-compare directory trees between old and new server:

diff <(ssh old-server "ls /path/server-data/resources") <(ls ~/server-data/resources)

Players can't connect but server is running

Check that ports 30120 (TCP+UDP) are properly open in:

• UFW: sudo ufw status
• Netrix (VeryCloud customer area)
• server.cfg: endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120" and endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

Migration from Zap-Hosting (special case)

Zap often uses a forked version of artifacts and a /games/.../ path. To recover the server-data folder from Zap:

1. Go to Zap Panel → Manage → SFTP/Backup
2. Download the full archive
3. Unzip locally, identify the resources/, server.cfg folders, and the MySQL database exported from Zap's phpMyAdmin

Useful commands

# Check size of each resource (useful for diagnosis)
du -sh ~/server-data/resources/* | sort -h

# Count tables in the database
sudo mysql -u root -p -e "USE fivem; SHOW TABLES;" | wc -l

# Backup everything at once before final migration
tar -czf full-backup.tar.gz ~/server-data /etc/mysql
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases | gzip > all-databases.sql.gz

# Check that port 30120 responds
nc -zvu VERYCLOUD_VPS_IP 30120

Conclusion

Migration is done, your community plays on a VeryCloud VPS with optimal performance and French technical support. For a fully managed migration by VeryCloud teams, open a support ticket: we offer a free migration service on Gaming VPS and Dedicated plans.

Resources

• VeryCloud guide — Install FiveM + txAdmin: /docs/article/fivem-txadmin-install
• VeryCloud guide — Diagnose a FiveM crash: /docs/article/fivem-debug-crash
• Official FiveM documentation: https://docs.fivem.net
• Cfx.re Keymaster: https://keymaster.fivem.net