FiveM School

Beginner-to-shipping FiveM coding course. Built by a working FiveM dev. No fluff, no padding, every Lua line explained.

If you've ever opened a FiveM resource on GitHub and felt lost - this fixes that.

---

Who This Is For

You'll get the most out of this if you:

• Have done a little code before (any language: JS, Python, C#, doesn't matter). You know what a variable, a function, and a loop are.
• Want to write server-side scripts, UI menus, jobs, or full game systems for a FiveM server.
• Don't know Lua. You learn it here.
• Don't know FiveM internals. Same.

Total beginners (never coded at all) - start with freeCodeCamp's JavaScript course first. Come back when you're comfortable with if, for, and functions.

---

What You'll Be Able To Build

By the end:

• Custom commands and chat events
• Job systems with permissions
• Shops with money + inventory + database logging
• HTML/React UIs that talk to the game
• Resources that don't tank your server's framerate
• Code that doesn't get exploited the day you ship it

---

Prerequisites

Thing	Why
PC with FiveM installed	You can't test without playing
Code editor (VS Code recommended)	Syntax highlighting, file explorer, terminal
Local FiveM dev server (txAdmin is the easiest)	You need a server to load your code into
Basic Git (GitHub Desktop if you hate the command line)	To version-control your work
A MySQL client (HeidiSQL on Windows, DBeaver cross-platform)	To poke at the database

VS Code extensions worth installing day one:

• sumneko.lua - Lua language server (autocomplete, errors)
• overextended.cfxlua-vscode - FiveM native autocomplete

---

How To Read This Course

Read in order. Each folder builds on the last. Skipping = confusion later.

01-basics       → what FiveM is, Lua, client/server, resources
02-events       → how scripts talk to each other
03-natives      → the GTA V API
04-database     → MySQL with oxmysql
05-frameworks   → Qbox / QBCore basics
06-ox-libraries → ox_lib, ox_target, ox_inventory
07-nui          → UI (HTML/CSS/JS, then React)
08-security     → don't get exploited
09-performance  → don't freeze the server
10-first-projects → build 3 real things end-to-end

Each lesson ends with Next: <file> so you always know where to go.

If you feel lost, jump to INDEX.md for the full map and shortcut paths.

---

How Each Lesson Is Structured

Every lesson follows the same shape so you know what to expect:

1. Plain-English summary at the top - what is this, why do you care
2. Code examples with every line annotated - no "magic" lines
3. Common mistakes - the bugs that bite beginners
4. Optimization & security callouts where they matter
5. TL;DR - the takeaway in 5 bullets
6. Sources - links to the official docs so you can dig deeper

Code blocks look like this:

-- declare a local variable. "local" = scoped to this file/block, NOT shared globally
local playerName = 'Sam'

-- print it to the server console (F8 in-game, or your terminal)
print(playerName)

Every non-trivial line gets a comment. You shouldn't have to guess what any line does.

---

Core Rules (Memorize These)

These come back in every lesson. Burn them in now:

1. Client = hostile. Server = trusted. Always validate on the server. Never trust what the client sends.
2. No secrets in client code. Players can read your client .lua files. Webhooks, API keys, prices - server only.
3. local src = source is the first line of every server net event. Why.
4. Always parameterize SQL. ? placeholders, never string concatenation. Why.
5. Read a similar resource before writing a new one. Patterns in the wild beat patterns from your head.
6. Small commits. One feature at a time. Easier to revert when something breaks.

---

Assumed Stack

Most examples target the modern FiveM roleplay stack. If your server differs, adapt - the core concepts stay identical.

Thing	What we use	Common alternative
Framework	Qbox (qbx_core)	QBCore, ESX
Inventory	ox_inventory	qb-inventory, tgiann-inventory
Targeting	ox_target	qb-target
Library	ox_lib	(no real alternative)
Database	oxmysql	mysql-async (legacy)
Lua runtime	Lua 5.4	Lua 5.3
Sync	OneSync Infinity	OneSync Legacy
NUI framework	React 19 + Vite	Svelte 5, vanilla HTML/JS

If you're not sure what stack your server uses, check server.cfg for the ensure lines.

---

How To Test Your Code

Every lesson assumes you have a dev server running. The fastest way to set one up:

1. Install txAdmin (it's the recommended FiveM server manager)
2. Use the "QBox + ox_lib + ox_inventory" recipe (built-in)
3. Start your server, connect from FiveM, and you're in

Workflow:

# edit your code
# save the file
# in-game F8 console:
restart my_resource
# test the change in-game

There's no hot reload for Lua. Restart on every change.

---

Glossary (Lookup As You Read)

You'll see these words constantly:

Word	Meaning
Resource	A folder with fxmanifest.lua + scripts. The unit of code in FiveM.
Native	A function exposed by the GTA V game engine. GetEntityCoords, etc.
Event	A named message that scripts fire and listen for.
Net event	Event that crosses client↔server. Treat as attack surface.
NUI	New UI. The HTML/JS overlay rendered on top of the game.
CEF	Chromium Embedded Framework. The browser FiveM uses to render NUI.
Source / src	The server ID of the player who triggered an event.
citizenid	Stable per-character ID issued by Qbox/QBCore.
license	Stable per-player ID. Survives character deletion.
Export	A function one resource exposes for others to call.
Convar	A server config variable, like mysql_connection_string.
State bag	A networked key-value store on an entity or player.

---

Contributing

This repo is MIT licensed (LICENSE) and PR-friendly. If you spot a mistake, an outdated API, or know a better way - open a PR.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the rules. Short version: keep the tone direct, keep examples runnable, no padding.

Bugs / questions / feature requests: open an issue.

---

Start Here

01-basics/01-what-is-fivem.md

Don't skip. The earliest lessons are the ones every later lesson assumes.

---

License

MIT - do whatever you want, just don't sue me. See LICENSE.