FiveM Lua Scripting: Getting Started with Custom Scripts in 2026

Every custom job, unique mechanic, and special feature on a FiveM server is a "resource" written in Lua. If you can write Lua, you can build anything. Here is how to start.

The Resource Structure

Every FiveM resource is a folder containing:

my_resource/
  fxmanifest.lua    # Tells FiveM what files are in this resource
  client.lua        # Code running on each player's client
  server.lua        # Code running on your server
  shared.lua        # Code running on both sides

fxmanifest.lua (required):

fx_version 'cerulean'
game 'gta5'

author 'YourName'
description 'My Custom Resource'
version '1.0.0'

shared_script 'shared.lua'
client_script 'client.lua'
server_script 'server.lua'

Client/Server Architecture

Understanding which code runs where is fundamental:

Client-side (client.lua): Access to GTA V native functions (player position, drawing UI, vehicle control). Runs on each connected player's PC.

Server-side (server.lua): Access to server state, database, player management. Runs once on your server machine.

Communication: Client and server communicate through events:

-- Client sends event to server:
TriggerServerEvent('myResource:doSomething', someData)

-- Server handles it:
RegisterNetEvent('myResource:doSomething')
AddEventHandler('myResource:doSomething', function(someData)
    local src = source  -- The player who fired the event
    print('Player ' .. src .. ' sent: ' .. someData)
    -- Do server-side logic here
end)

-- Server sends event back to client:
TriggerClientEvent('myResource:response', src, 'done')

Your First Job System (Minimal Example)

-- server.lua
local jobPlayers = {}

RegisterNetEvent('myjob:clockIn')
AddEventHandler('myjob:clockIn', function()
    local src = source
    jobPlayers[src] = GetGameTimer()
    TriggerClientEvent('myjob:started', src)
    print('Player ' .. src .. ' clocked in')
end)

RegisterNetEvent('myjob:clockOut')
AddEventHandler('myjob:clockOut', function()
    local src = source
    if jobPlayers[src] then
        local timeWorked = (GetGameTimer() - jobPlayers[src]) / 1000 / 60 -- minutes
        local pay = math.floor(timeWorked * 15) -- €15 per minute
        -- Add pay logic here (QBCore money function etc.)
        jobPlayers[src] = nil
        TriggerClientEvent('myjob:ended', src, pay)
    end
end)

Learning Resources

• FiveM Docs - Complete native reference
• GTA V native database - Every GTA V function callable from FiveM
• FiveM community Discord - #development channel

Start by reading and modifying existing open-source resources before writing from scratch. The community's qb-smallresources repository contains dozens of small examples perfect for learning.

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