Get Your FiveM Server into the Public List

A FiveM server missing from the public list does not exist as far as players are concerned: nearly all recruitment happens there. Three things put it on the list - a valid license, the right convars, and a reachable server. This guide sets them up, then polishes the listing.

⚙️ Requirements

• A Lordhosting FiveM server that starts without errors
• A valid Keymaster key - see getting your Keymaster key
• Access to server.cfg - see the server.cfg guide

⚙️ 1. Check the license key

Without a valid key, no registration is possible. In server.cfg:

sv_licenseKey "cfx_live_your_key"

On start, the console confirms the registration:

Authenticating server license key...
Server license key authentication succeeded.

⚙️ 2. Enable registration with the master

The sv_master1 convar triggers the announcement. Left empty, the server stays invisible:

sv_master1 ""          # ❌ server hidden

To appear, keep the default value - meaning delete the line if it is there and empty. Also check the announced endpoint:

set sv_forceIndirectListing true

sv_forceIndirectListing allows the listing without exposing the server's real IP address.

⚙️ 3. Polish the server listing

The listing is what players see before connecting. It is set entirely in server.cfg:

sv_hostname "🌍 MyServer RP | Whitelist | EN"
sets locale "en-GB"
sets tags "roleplay, whitelist, esx, en, serious"
sets banner_detail "https://example.com/banner-1920x384.png"
sets banner_connecting "https://example.com/connecting-1920x1080.png"
sets Discord "https://discord.gg/your-invite"
set sv_projectName "MyServer RP"
set sv_projectDesc "Serious roleplay, whitelist, realistic economy"
sv_maxclients 48

A few rules that make the difference:

• A readable name: two or three pieces of information, not a line of symbols.
• The language in locale: it feeds the players' country filter.
• Accurate tags: roleplay, whitelist, esx, qbcore, drift, police. They drive searches.
• A banner in the right format: 1920 × 384 for the listing, 1920 × 1080 for the connecting screen.

⚙️ 4. Make sure the server is reachable

The master only registers a server that answers from the internet. Test the game port over TCP:

nc -vz your-server.lordhosting.fr 30120

On a self-managed VPS, open both protocols in the firewall - see setting up UFW:

sudo ufw allow 30120/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30120/udp

⚙️ 5. Verify the listing

Allow a few minutes after a successful start, then search for your name in the FiveM client. Two extra checks:

• open http://your-ip:30120/info.json in a browser: the announced listing shows exactly as the master sees it;
• in the client, connect your-ip:30120 proves the server accepts connections even when it is not listed yet.

⚙️ 6. Fix the common errors

• Server license key authentication failed: wrong or expired key, or one bound to another IP. Regenerate it in Keymaster.
• The server starts, the console is clean, nothing in the list: sv_master1 empty, or UDP port closed.
• The listing shows an old name: master cache, allow up to an hour.
• The server appears then disappears: restarts too frequent, or two instances sharing one key.

⚙️ Ready-to-paste configuration

The complete listing block, to paste into server.cfg: it decides what players see in the list.

# ---- License and listing -------------------------------------------------
sv_licenseKey "cfx_live_YOUR_KEY"
sv_maxclients 48
set sv_forceIndirectListing true
# sv_master1 ""   <-- leave COMMENTED OUT: uncommented, the server disappears

# ---- The listing players see ---------------------------------------------
sv_hostname "🌍 MyServer RP | Whitelist | EN"
sets locale "en-GB"
sets tags "roleplay, whitelist, esx, en, serious"
sets banner_detail "https://example.com/banner-1920x384.png"
sets banner_connecting "https://example.com/connecting-1920x1080.png"
sets Discord "https://discord.gg/your-invite"
sets connect_banner_url "https://example.com/connecting-1920x1080.png"
set sv_projectName "MyServer RP"
set sv_projectDesc "Serious roleplay, whitelist, realistic economy"

# ---- Networking ----------------------------------------------------------
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

The image formats to respect, otherwise the banner is rejected or stretched:

The verification script, which shows exactly what the master sees of your server:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Checks a FiveM server listing: license, listing, ports.
set -euo pipefail

SERVER="${1:-your-server.lordhosting.fr}"
PORT="${2:-30120}"

echo "--- ports ---"
nc -vz  "$SERVER" "$PORT" && echo "TCP open"
# UDP cannot be tested with nc: with no handshake, the command succeeds even when closed.

echo
echo "--- announced listing ---"
curl -s "http://${SERVER}:${PORT}/info.json" \
  | python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin)['vars'];
print('name   :', d.get('sv_projectName'));
print('tags   :', d.get('tags'));
print('locale :', d.get('locale'));
print('banner :', d.get('banner_detail'))"

echo
echo "--- connected players ---"
curl -s "http://${SERVER}:${PORT}/players.json" | python3 -c "import json,sys; print(len(json.load(sys.stdin)))"

If info.json answers but the server does not appear in the client, the problem is the license, not the listing. If info.json does not answer at all, it is the port or the firewall.

✅ Conclusion

Your server is registered, its listing is complete and you know how to check what the master sees. Continue with txAdmin for administration and restart scheduling, which directly affects the attendance you display.

Our FiveM servers run on Ryzen with DDoS protection: a server that stays reachable is a server that stays listed.