QBCore vs ESX vs Qbox: which FiveM framework should you use?
A framework is the base of a roleplay server. It handles characters, jobs, money and items, and almost every other script builds on it. ESX, QBCore and Qbox are the three most common choices. Here is how they differ and how to pick one.
What a framework does
On its own, FiveM gives you the map and the players. A framework adds the systems roleplay needs: accounts and characters, jobs and gangs, cash and bank money, inventories, vehicles and housing, all saved in a database. Most free and paid roleplay scripts are written for a particular framework, so this choice decides which scripts you can use.
ESX Legacy
ESX is the oldest of the three and still widely used, and ESX Legacy is its maintained version. Years of community work mean a very large library of ESX scripts, and many established servers run on it.
- A good fit for servers that already run ESX, or that depend on ESX-only scripts.
- Keep in mind that many older ESX scripts were written for earlier versions and may need updating.
QBCore
QBCore became popular as a more modern alternative to ESX. It comes with its own large set of qb- resources for jobs, inventory, housing and more, and a big market of scripts is written for it.
- A good fit for new servers that want the widest choice of ready-made QBCore scripts.
- Keep in mind that the quality of third-party scripts varies a lot, so test them before you rely on them.
Qbox
Qbox started in 2022 as a fork of QBCore. It stays compatible with almost all QBCore scripts while building on Overextended's resources, such as ox_lib, and its documentation includes guides for moving a QBCore server across.
- A good fit for new servers that want QBCore's script choice on a more modern base.
- Keep in mind that Qbox needs MariaDB 10.9 or newer; MySQL isn't supported.
Side by side
| Framework | Scripts | Database | A good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESX Legacy | A very large library, built up over many years | MySQL or MariaDB | Existing ESX servers and ESX-only scripts |
| QBCore | A large set of qb- resources and paid scripts | MySQL or MariaDB | New servers that want the most QBCore scripts |
| Qbox | Runs almost all QBCore scripts, plus its own | MariaDB 10.9 or newer | New servers that want a modern, QBCore-compatible base |
All three can be installed with a txAdmin recipe.
How to choose
- Start from the scripts you need. List the jobs, inventory, phone and housing scripts you want, and check which frameworks each one supports.
- Use what your team knows. Developers who know one framework well build faster and break less.
- Don't switch a running city lightly. Moving an established server to another framework means converting data and scripts. Do it only for a clear reason, and test on a copy first.
- Stick to one framework. Mixing ESX and QBCore resources on one server causes conflicts. Use compatibility bridges only where a script's author supports them.
Setting one up
All three have a txAdmin recipe that downloads the resources, creates the database tables and writes server.cfg for you. Our guide to setting up a FiveM server on Linux with txAdmin walks through it from a fresh VPS.
Does the framework change hosting needs?
Less than the scripts you add on top. A lean server runs comfortably on a small VPS with any of the three, while a city with hundreds of scripts needs more CPU and memory whichever framework it uses. See FiveM server requirements for starting sizes.
Whichever framework you choose, scripts that don't match its version fail with “attempt to index a nil value”. See how to fix it.
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