RedM Server Hosting

What is RedM, and who should rent a RedM server?

RedM is a multiplayer platform developed by Cfx.re that runs on the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 and lets community servers define their own rules, map and systems. Unlike Rockstar’s own Red Dead Online, on RedM you run the server: towns, jobs, the economy and law and order are your design.

Renting a RedM server makes most sense for:

• Western roleplay communities: character-driven servers with sheriffs, doctors, saloon owners, farmers, hunters and outlaws.
• Teams with FiveM experience: FXServer, txAdmin and the Lua resource structure are the same, so anyone who has run a FiveM server adapts to RedM quickly.
• Small groups of friends: players who want to hunt, race horses or build stories together in a private world, free of Red Dead Online’s restrictions.

The RedM community is smaller than FiveM’s but more niche and loyal, which makes it easier for a well-designed server to stand out. To connect, players need the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 (via Steam, the Rockstar Games Launcher or Epic Games).

What are the differences between a RedM and a FiveM server?

RedM and FiveM use the same FXServer software, the same txAdmin panel and the same licensing infrastructure; the differences are which game the server is launched for, the game functions (natives) used and the community’s resource ecosystem.

The most important practical difference: resources written for FiveM don’t run on RedM directly. The two games’ natives differ, and community documentation of RDR2 natives is not as thorough as GTA V’s, so building custom systems on RedM can take more trial and error. Server administration, database structure and backup logic, however, are exactly the same. We cover the FiveM side in detail on our FiveM server hosting page.

A note on migration: a team experienced with FiveM can carry over its server infrastructure (txAdmin, MariaDB, backup scripts, firewall rules) to RedM almost unchanged. What changes is the game content: economy balance, jobs and map design must be built from scratch around the Wild West theme. That’s why most of the time on RedM projects goes into content and community design rather than technical setup.

How do the RedM license key and player limit work?

A RedM server needs a free license key that you create with your Cfx.re account in the Cfx.re Portal. The key goes on the sv_licenseKey line in server.cfg, and the player limit is set with sv_maxclients up to what your licence and subscription tier allow.

RedM keys used to come from a separate Keymaster page; today key management is unified in the Cfx.re Portal. The license key lets the server appear in the list and verify protected (escrow) resources. The number of slots available with a free key and the extra slots provided by Element Club tiers are set by Cfx.re and may change over time, so check the current limits in the Portal.

When choosing a slot count, look at the server’s real capacity, not just the licence limit. The RDR2 world contains a large number of entities: horses, wild animals, wagons and NPCs. OneSync keeps these synchronised between players, which increases CPU and network load on busy servers.

Keep the license key secure: don’t put it in public repositories, screenshots or shared configuration files. A leaked key can be used on another server and cause verification problems for yours. If you suspect it was compromised, create a new one in the Portal and update server.cfg. When several people on the team access server files, keeping the key in a separate configuration file shared only with those who need it is a good habit.

VORP Core, RSG Core or RedEM:RP: which should you choose?

The most widely used frameworks for RedM roleplay servers are VORP Core and RSG Core; RedEM:RP is an older option. Your choice depends on support for the ready-made resources you want and your team’s experience.

• VORP Core: one of RedM’s most established frameworks, with a large collection of resources for characters, inventory, jobs, banking and horses, and strong community support.
• RSG Core: inspired by the QBCore architecture. It feels familiar to teams that used QBCore on FiveM and is actively developed.
• RedEM:RP: a popular framework from the early days; for new projects it may lag behind the other two in resource support and freshness.

The framework determines your inventory structure, how character data is stored in the database and which resources will run. Switching later is laborious because player data must be converted. A good approach is to install both on a test server and see how many of the jobs and systems you need come ready-made.

How many resources does a RedM server need?

For a VORP- or RSG-based western roleplay server of up to 48 players, 8–12 GB of RAM, four fast CPU cores and 60–80 GB of NVMe storage is a realistic start. The table values are estimates; needs grow as map additions (MLOs), custom horse and clothing packs and the resource count increase.

The main factors driving resource use on a RedM server:

1. Main thread load: server-side Lua code runs largely on a single thread; a CPU with high per-core speed reduces hitches.
2. Entity synchronisation: keeping many objects such as horses, animals and wagons in sync between players raises CPU and network load on busy servers.
3. Database: character, inventory, stable and economy data is constantly read and written; if MariaDB runs on the same machine, reserve memory for it.
4. Streaming files: custom content is downloaded to players; NVMe storage and a good network connection shorten the first join.

Testing a new resource on a test server before adding it protects the stability of the live server, which is why running a small test server on a separate port of the same VDS is common practice.

Should you rent a ready-made package or a VDS for RedM?

The best route for a RedM server is to rent a VDS with reserved resources and install FXServer and txAdmin yourself, or request installation through a support ticket; the package table on this page lists the current server options suitable for RedM.

A roleplay server is more than one game process: the database, txAdmin, often a Discord bot, an application form and sometimes a website all run together. On a VDS you run all of them on one machine with cores and memory reserved for you. You can choose Windows or Linux and get full administrative access via Remote Desktop on Windows or SSH on Linux.

The flexibility of a VDS comes with responsibility: operating system updates, firewall rules and the backup routine are in your hands. If you’d like to share that load, you can open a support ticket for installation and basic configuration. For a general comparison of ready-made game packages and VDS, see the game server package vs VDS page.

How do you handle txAdmin and day-to-day administration on RedM?

Day-to-day administration of a RedM server is done in the txAdmin web panel bundled with FXServer: starting and stopping the server, scheduled restarts, player warnings and bans, a live console and admin accounts are all on one screen.

A common administration routine on western RP servers:

• Scheduled restarts: restarting once or twice a day, with advance warnings to players, clears memory build-up and resource errors.
• Admin roles: giving moderators only warn and kick rights and senior admins ban and resource restart rights limits the impact of mistakes.
• Resource updates: trying framework and resource updates on the test server before the live server reduces the risk of corrupting player data.
• Logs: txAdmin’s player history and console logs provide evidence when reviewing complaints.

txAdmin runs on port 40120 by default; protect access to it with strong passwords and, where possible, IP restrictions.

How do you keep a RedM server performing well?

Keeping a RedM server fast comes down to weeding out inefficient resources that loop constantly, keeping entity counts under control and simplifying database queries.

1. Track hitch warnings: if “server thread hitch warning” messages become frequent, a resource is hogging the main thread. Use the server profiler to measure which one is responsible.
2. Limit entities: horses taken out of stables, abandoned wagons and NPCs spawned by resources pile up over time. Set up a routine that clears unused entities at intervals.
3. Make loops event-based: prefer event-driven resources over ones that check something every frame.
4. Watch the database: as inventory and economy tables grow, queries slow down; indexing frequently used columns and archiving old records makes a difference.
5. Don’t forget the client: players can see client-side resource load with resmon 1; heavy client scripts cause FPS drops on lower-end machines.

How do you keep a RedM server secure?

Securing a RedM server takes network-level DDoS filtering, scripts only from trusted sources, a database closed to the internet and strong admin passwords, applied together.

• DDoS: rivalry between community servers sometimes turns into attacks. The RouteFence firewall in our data center filters attack traffic at network level.
• Resource security: unauthorised copies of paid resources often contain backdoors that can allow remote command execution or wipe the database; get resources only from their developer or official store.
• Server-side validation: resources that grant money, items or XP by trusting client events open the door to cheating; prefer resources that validate critical actions on the server.
• Ports and access: don’t expose MariaDB’s port to the internet, and use key-based SSH login.

Your admin team’s security matters as much as the server’s. Two-factor authentication on txAdmin and Discord admin accounts prevents a takeover if one team member’s password leaks. Removing the permissions of people who leave the team on the same day and logging admin actions help you spot insider problems quickly.

How do you back up and migrate a RedM server?

A complete RedM backup consists of a full database dump, the server data folder with resources and configuration files, and txAdmin data. Since players’ character, inventory and horse data is stored entirely in the database, the database is the most critical part.

The recommended routine is an automatic daily database export stored somewhere off the server. Taking a manual full backup before a major framework update or adding a new economy resource makes it easy to roll back if data gets corrupted.

When migrating from another provider:

1. Put the server into maintenance mode and export the database.
2. Compress the server data folder (resources, server.cfg, streaming files).
3. Install the current FXServer and MariaDB on the new server and import the database.
4. Check set gamename rdr3, the license key and the database connection string, then start the server.

On a VDS, snapshots provide an extra safety net on top of database dumps.

What are the most common RedM server errors?

The most common problems on RedM servers are a forgotten gamename setting, an invalid license key, trying to run FiveM-specific resources on RedM, resource start order and database connection errors.

• Players can’t connect and the server shows up as FiveM: the set gamename rdr3 line is missing from server.cfg. Without it, the server starts for GTA V.
• Server not showing in the list: the license key is invalid or used on another server, or sv_maxclients is above the allowed limit.
• Error when a resource starts: the resource was written for FiveM and calls GTA V-specific functions; find the RedM version or adapt the resource.
• “Couldn’t start resource”: the framework resource it depends on hasn’t been started first; fix the ensure order.
• Game build mismatch: the sv_enforceGameBuild value must match the content used.
• Connection timed out: port 30120 is closed for TCP or UDP; check your firewall rules.

When debugging, the most efficient method is to start the server with framework resources only and add the others back in groups; the problem resource soon shows itself. Saving the relevant console output and attaching it to a support ticket shortens the fix considerably.

How does renting a RedM server work?

Choose a suitable VDS from the package table and complete your order; the server is provisioned automatically, and you then install FXServer and txAdmin, enter your Cfx.re license key and take your RedM server live.

Roughly, you pick the operating system (Windows or Linux), and once the order is confirmed the connection details appear in your customer panel. You connect to the server, download the current FXServer files, start the txAdmin setup wizard and install your framework. If you’d rather not deal with these steps, open a support ticket and request installation. Prices are shown in Turkish lira excluding VAT and the checkout is in Turkish; contact us by email if you need help ordering.

Before going live: set sv_hostname and the server description, create txAdmin admin accounts, set up scheduled restarts, take the first database backup and share the connection details in your Discord community. LIONFIN’s 24/7 NOC and SOC monitoring and 99.99% availability target are aimed at the uninterrupted uptime a long-running roleplay community needs.

The first weeks after launch are the best time to collect player feedback and tune economy balance and job rewards. Taking database backups more often during this period makes it easier to undo unintended effects of balance changes.