An RP city's state is not stored only in the resources folder. Restoring characters, vehicles and permissions requires the framework database, resource data files, configuration and exact software versions together.
Verify a backup by restoring it in a separate environment. During migration, check actual player data and network access as well as successful startup. Retire the old server only after handover is complete.
1. What makes a FiveM backup complete?
| Data scope | What to retain |
|---|---|
| Server configuration | server.cfg, related cfg files, startup method and artifact version. |
| Resource-ok | The releases in use, their configuration, local data files and streamed content. |
| Database | Framework and resource schemas, characters, vehicles and other persistent data. |
| Control panel | The txAdmin profile and management settings used in your installation. |
| Access | A separate, access-controlled inventory of keys, licences and integrations. |
2. Match the system state to the backup time
- Notify players of maintenance and cleanly stop services that write player data.
- Create file and database backups from the same recovery point. Use a consistent backup method suited to the database engine.
- Check backup exit statuses, file sizes and the required data.
- Store the copy with its date and version inventory, separate from production and with restricted access.
3. Test with a separate server and database
- Create an isolated test environment; do not restore into the production directory or database.
- Before importing, inspect the SQL file for its own USE or CREATE DATABASE statements. Choosing a test database name on the command line alone does not protect the production database.
- Restore the correct file versions and point the database connection only at the test database.
- Disable external notifications and other integrations that could affect production in the test instance.
- Use a test character to check login, inventory, money, vehicles, jobs and administrator permissions.
4. What may change during migration
- New IP address, game port, firewall and direct connection address.
- Cfx.re registration and current licence terms; never publish keys.
- Database host, user permissions and file paths.
- txAdmin access and administrator accounts.
- Webhooks and external connections that still point to the old server.
5. When is the migration complete?
Migration is verified when the game is reachable from an external network, character data persists after signing in again, logs show no new errors and backups of the new environment have been tested. Document how long you will retain the old system and the latest recoverable point. Never let two production instances write to the same player data in parallel.
