How to update my artifact on FiveM?

Learning how to update FiveM artifact is essential for maintaining a stable, secure, and feature-rich server in 2025. FiveM artifacts represent the core server binaries that power your multiplayer experience, and keeping them current ensures compatibility with the latest client versions, bug fixes, performance improvements, and security patches. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the artifact update process, from understanding what artifacts are to automating updates and troubleshooting common issues, empowering you to manage your FiveM server with confidence.

Understanding FiveM Artifacts and Why Updates Matter

FiveM artifacts are the server executables and associated files that run your server instance. Published regularly by the Cfx.re team, these builds introduce new features, optimize performance, and patch vulnerabilities. In 2025, FiveM development remains active, with recommended and optional artifact channels delivering updates at varying frequencies. Running an outdated artifact can lead to client connection issues, script incompatibilities, exploits, and degraded performance, particularly under high player loads.

Understanding the artifact versioning system is crucial. FiveM uses a build number scheme, visible in your server console on startup. The recommended artifact channel receives thorough testing and is stable for production use, while the optional channel provides cutting-edge features but may contain experimental changes. For most server owners, sticking to recommended builds balances stability and access to new functionality. When you update your FiveM artifact, you ensure your server remains compatible with the latest game patches and benefits from community-driven improvements.

At Nexus Games, our FiveM hosting infrastructure runs on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processors with 16 cores and 32 threads, paired with DDR5 ECC RAM and NVMe SSD storage, delivering the performance headroom necessary to handle artifact updates seamlessly and serve demanding player bases without downtime.

Artifact Channels: Recommended vs. Optional

FiveM offers two primary artifact channels. The recommended channel is the safest choice for live servers, receiving builds after extensive testing. These artifacts undergo community validation and are less likely to introduce breaking changes. The optional channel, by contrast, targets developers and server owners willing to test new features early. Optional builds may include experimental APIs, performance tweaks, or preview functionality, but stability is not guaranteed.

Choosing the right channel depends on your server’s purpose. Production servers serving large communities should prioritize recommended artifacts, updating only after patch notes confirm stability. Development or test servers benefit from optional builds, allowing you to preview upcoming changes and adapt scripts before official release. Many experienced administrators run parallel test environments to validate optional artifacts before deploying to production, minimizing risk and downtime.

Benefits of Keeping Artifacts Current

• Client Compatibility: Players using the latest FiveM client may experience connection issues or missing features if your server runs an obsolete artifact.
• Security Patches: Updates address vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious users, protecting both your server and player data.
• Performance Gains: Engine optimizations reduce CPU and RAM usage, particularly critical when hosting resource-heavy scripts and large player counts.
• New Features: Access to updated scripting APIs, improved synchronization, and enhanced mod support keeps your server competitive and feature-rich.
• Bug Fixes: Resolved crashes, desync issues, and script errors improve overall player experience and server stability.

Regular artifact updates form part of a proactive maintenance strategy. Combined with script updates, database optimization, and resource management, keeping your FiveM artifact current ensures a smooth, secure, and engaging multiplayer experience.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Update FiveM Artifact in 2025

Updating your FiveM artifact involves downloading the latest server binaries, replacing the old files, and restarting your server. The process varies slightly depending on your operating system and hosting environment, but the core steps remain consistent. This section provides detailed instructions for Windows and Linux, covering both manual and automated update methods.

Method 1: Manual Update on Windows

Manual updates offer full control and are ideal for server owners who prefer to review changes before deployment. Follow these steps to update your FiveM artifact on a Windows server:

1. Stop Your FiveM Server: Use your control panel or command line to gracefully stop the server process. Ensure all players are disconnected and active transactions are saved.
2. Backup Your Server: Create a complete backup of your server-data folder, including cache, resources, and configuration files. Store backups in a separate directory or cloud storage.
3. Download the Latest Artifact: Visit the official FiveM Windows artifacts page and locate the latest recommended build. Download the .zip file to your local machine.
4. Extract the Artifact: Unzip the downloaded archive. You will find FXServer.exe, fxserver.exe, and associated DLLs.
5. Replace Old Files: Navigate to your FiveM server directory (often C:\FXServer or similar). Replace the existing FXServer.exe and related binaries with the new files from the extracted archive.
6. Verify Configuration: Check your server.cfg for any deprecated settings. Consult the patch notes for syntax changes or removed convars.
7. Start Your Server: Launch FXServer.exe or use your startup script. Monitor the console for errors and confirm the new build number appears in the startup log.
8. Test Connectivity: Join your server from a FiveM client to verify functionality. Check resource loading, script execution, and player interactions.

Manual updates provide transparency and allow you to test each step, but they require downtime. For high-traffic servers, consider scheduling updates during off-peak hours or using a staging environment first.

Method 2: Manual Update on Linux

Linux servers benefit from command-line tools that streamline the update process. Here’s how to update your FiveM artifact on a Linux-based system:

1. Stop the Server: Use systemctl stop fivem or your process manager to halt the server gracefully.
2. Backup Your Data: Run tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz /path/to/server-data to create a timestamped backup archive.
3. Download the Artifact: Use wget or curl to fetch the latest Linux artifact. For example:

   cd /opt/fxserver
   wget https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/[latest-build-number]/fx.tar.xz

4. Extract and Replace: Extract the archive with tar -xvf fx.tar.xz. This overwrites the existing binaries in your FiveM directory.
5. Set Permissions: Ensure the new binaries are executable: chmod +x run.sh and chmod +x alpine/opt/cfx-server/FXServer.
6. Review Configuration: Open server.cfg with a text editor and verify settings against the latest documentation.
7. Restart the Server: Use systemctl start fivem or execute ./run.sh +exec server.cfg directly.
8. Monitor Logs: Tail the server log with tail -f /path/to/server.log to catch any startup errors or warnings.

Linux updates are efficient and can be scripted for automation. Many server administrators integrate artifact updates into their CI/CD pipelines or use cron jobs to check for new builds periodically.

Method 3: Automated Updates with Scripts

Automation reduces manual effort and ensures your server always runs the latest artifact. A simple Bash script can check for new builds, download them, and restart your server. Below is an example script for Linux:

#!/bin/bash
SERVER_DIR="/opt/fxserver"
ARTIFACT_URL="https://runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/"
LATEST_BUILD=$(curl -s $ARTIFACT_URL | grep -oP '(? current_build.txt
    systemctl start fivem
    echo "Update complete."
else
    echo "Server is up to date."
fi

Schedule this script with cron to run daily or weekly. Adjust paths and URLs to match your environment. For Windows, PowerShell scripts can achieve similar automation using Invoke-WebRequest and scheduled tasks.

At Nexus Games, our Pterodactyl VPS hosting supports custom scripts and cron jobs, enabling advanced users to automate artifact updates while maintaining full control over their server environment.

Method 4: Using Hosting Control Panels

Managed hosting platforms often provide one-click update mechanisms through their control panels. If you host your FiveM server with Nexus Games, you can leverage our Nexus Panel to update artifacts without touching the command line:

• Log in to your Nexus Games account and navigate to your FiveM server instance.
• Access the File Manager or Update section within the panel.
• Select the latest recommended artifact from the dropdown menu or click Check for Updates.
• Confirm the update and allow the panel to download, extract, and restart your server automatically.
• Review the console output to verify the new build number and check for errors.

Control panel updates are convenient, fast, and minimize the risk of misconfiguration. They abstract the technical complexity, making artifact management accessible to users without Linux or scripting experience. Combined with our 1 Gbps network bandwidth and NVMe SSD storage, Nexus Games ensures rapid artifact downloads and minimal update downtime.

Troubleshooting Common Artifact Update Issues

Even with careful preparation, artifact updates can occasionally introduce issues. Understanding common problems and their solutions helps you resolve errors quickly and restore service. This section covers frequent challenges server owners face when updating FiveM artifacts in 2025.

Server Fails to Start After Update

If your server fails to launch following an artifact update, check the console output for error messages. Common causes include:

• Incompatible Resources: Older scripts may rely on deprecated APIs. Review resource logs and disable problematic mods temporarily.
• Configuration Errors: Convars may have changed syntax or been removed. Cross-reference your server.cfg with the latest documentation.
• Missing Dependencies: New artifacts may require updated Visual C++ Redistributables on Windows or library packages on Linux. Install missing dependencies as indicated by error messages.
• File Permissions: On Linux, ensure the new binaries are executable. Run chmod +x on FXServer and startup scripts.

Restore your backup and attempt the update again, isolating changes one at a time to identify the culprit.

Players Cannot Connect or Experience Errors

Connection issues post-update often stem from client-server version mismatches or corrupted cache files. Troubleshoot as follows:

• Clear Server Cache: Delete the cache folder in your server directory and allow FiveM to regenerate it on startup.
• Verify Client Version: Ensure players are running the latest FiveM client. Outdated clients may not support new artifact features.
• Check Firewall Rules: Confirm that your server’s ports (default 30120) are open and accessible. Update firewall rules if your hosting environment changed IP addresses.
• Review Resource Manifests: Ensure all custom resources declare compatible FiveM versions in their fxmanifest.lua files.

Test connectivity from multiple networks to rule out local firewall or ISP issues.

Performance Degradation or Increased Resource Usage

Occasionally, new artifacts introduce performance regressions or expose inefficiencies in existing scripts. Monitor your server’s CPU, RAM, and network usage after updating:

• Profile Resource Impact: Use the built-in resmon command in the server console to identify resource-heavy scripts.
• Optimize Scripts: Update or replace outdated resources that consume excessive ticks or memory.
• Adjust Server Settings: Increase onesync population limits cautiously and tune sv_maxclients based on available hardware.
• Upgrade Hardware: If performance issues persist, consider migrating to a higher-tier plan. Nexus Games offers scalable FiveM hosting with up to 128 GB DDR5 ECC RAM and dedicated CPU cores, ideal for demanding servers with 200+ players.

Collaborate with the FiveM community via forums and Discord to report persistent issues and share optimization strategies.

Rollback to Previous Artifact

If a new artifact proves unstable, rolling back to a previous build is straightforward:

1. Stop your server.
2. Restore the backup created before the update, replacing the new artifact files with the old ones.
3. Restart the server and confirm stability.
4. Document the issue and report it to the FiveM development team via their GitHub repository or official channels.

Maintaining multiple backup snapshots allows you to roll back further if necessary, minimizing downtime and data loss.

Best Practices for FiveM Artifact Management

Effective artifact management extends beyond simple updates. Adopting industry best practices ensures long-term server stability, security, and performance. This section outlines strategies for maintaining a healthy FiveM server environment in 2025.

Establish a Regular Update Schedule

Consistency is key. Define a maintenance window—weekly or biweekly—during off-peak hours when player counts are low. Communicate scheduled downtime to your community via Discord, in-game announcements, or your server’s website. This transparency builds trust and minimizes player frustration.

Test Updates in a Staging Environment

Before deploying artifact updates to your live server, replicate your production environment in a staging setup. Copy your server-data folder, apply the update, and test all critical functionality: script execution, database interactions, player spawns, and vehicle handling. A staging server catches breaking changes before they impact your community, allowing you to fix issues or postpone updates until patches are available.

Nexus Games’ Linux VPS hosting and Windows VPS hosting provide the flexibility to run multiple server instances on a single VPS, perfect for staging and testing environments without incurring additional hardware costs.

Automate Backups

Automated backups protect against data loss during updates and unexpected failures. Schedule daily or hourly backups using cron jobs, PowerShell scripts, or your hosting panel’s backup feature. Store backups offsite or in cloud storage to guard against hardware failures. Nexus Games offers integrated backup solutions, ensuring your server data remains safe and recoverable.

Monitor Server Health and Logs

Proactive monitoring detects issues early. Use tools like Grafana, Prometheus, or built-in panel dashboards to track CPU usage, RAM consumption, network traffic, and player counts. Review server logs regularly for error patterns, deprecated warnings, or exploit attempts. Alerting systems can notify you via email or Discord when thresholds are exceeded, enabling rapid response.

Stay Informed on FiveM Development

Follow official FiveM channels—forums, Discord, GitHub, and social media—to stay updated on release notes, known issues, and security advisories. The FiveM community is active and collaborative, sharing optimization tips, troubleshooting guides, and custom tools. Engaging with this ecosystem keeps your knowledge current and your server competitive.

Document Your Configuration

Maintain detailed documentation of your server setup: artifact versions, installed resources, custom scripts, database schemas, and configuration settings. This documentation accelerates troubleshooting, simplifies onboarding new administrators, and serves as a reference during updates. Use version control (Git) to track changes to configuration files and scripts, enabling rollback and change auditing.

Optimize Resource Loading

Minimize startup time and resource overhead by auditing your resources folder. Remove unused or redundant scripts, consolidate similar functionality, and prioritize lightweight alternatives. Lazy loading and asynchronous resource initialization reduce server strain and improve player experience. Keep resource manifests updated with correct version tags and dependency declarations.

Leverage Hosting Provider Support

Professional hosting providers offer expert support, managed updates, and optimized infrastructure. Nexus Games delivers 24/7 support, proactive monitoring, and hands-on assistance with artifact updates, script troubleshooting, and performance tuning. Our infrastructure—powered by AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processors, DDR5 ECC RAM, and NVMe SSD storage—ensures your FiveM server runs at peak performance, even during high player loads.

Conclusion: Mastering how to update FiveM artifact is a fundamental skill for any serious server administrator. By understanding artifact channels, following step-by-step update procedures, troubleshooting common issues, and adopting best practices, you ensure your server remains secure, stable, and feature-rich. Regular updates protect against vulnerabilities, enhance performance, and provide access to the latest FiveM innovations, keeping your community engaged and your server competitive in 2025 and beyond.

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