QBCore vs ESX: Which FiveM Framework Should You Pick?

In November 2026 the honest answer to QBCore vs ESX is different from a year ago. QBCore's own docs now say it "has withdrawn from other platforms", and txAdmin marked its QBCore recipe as deprecated on October 29, 2026. For a new FiveM roleplay server, the real choice is ESX Legacy or Qbox, the fork that runs most QBCore scripts. If your city already runs QBCore, it keeps working, but you should plan a move.

This guide compares the frameworks on what you can check yourself: release activity on GitHub, which ox resources they use, what you get out of the box, how much Lua you need, and how each one installs with txAdmin. All three are open-source community projects, not companies, and none of them is made by Cfx.re. FiveM itself is made by Cfx.re, which officially joined Rockstar Games in August 2023.

QBCore vs ESX: the short answer

Pick ESX Legacy if you want the framework with the longest history and an official recipe. Pick Qbox if you like the QBCore way of doing things or you already own QBCore scripts. Start a brand-new city on QBCore only if you accept that nobody is developing it for FiveM anymore.

What happened to QBCore in 2026

You will still find plenty of tutorials that call QBCore the modern choice. They were written before these changes, which you can verify on official pages:

1. The GitHub organization moved. The repositories now live under qbcore-fivem on GitHub. The code is still there and still GPL-3.0.
2. The docs changed direction. The first page of qbcore.org/docs says QBCore is now the roleplay framework for Mantle, a separate Unreal Engine 5 platform, and that "QBCore has withdrawn from other platforms". The old FiveM guides stay online "as a reference".
3. txAdmin dropped the recipe. The txAdmin-recipes index removed QBCore on October 29, 2026 and now lists it as deprecated.
4. FiveM's own list skips it. The Frameworks page on docs.fivem.net lists ESX, ND, Qbox and vRP for FiveM, plus VORP for RedM.
5. Qbox says it plainly. Its migration guide opens with "QBCore has been deprecated by its maintainers and is no longer offered as a txAdmin recipe."

None of this deletes your server. A QBCore city that works today will keep working tomorrow. What you lose is the future: new FiveM game builds, security fixes and new scripts will target ESX and Qbox first.

ox_lib, ox_inventory and oxmysql in each framework

The Overextended resources are the shared toolbox of FiveM roleplay, and their GitHub repositories are active again in November 2026: ox_lib v3.42.2, ox_inventory v2.48.1 and oxmysql v2.14.3. Here is how each framework uses them.

• oxmysql is the database connector for all three. The manifests of es_extended, qb-core and qbx_core load @oxmysql/lib/MySQL.lua, so it has to start before the core.
• ox_lib is a hard dependency of Qbox: qbx_core loads @ox_lib/init.lua, and Qbox replaced qb-menu, qb-input and the progress bar with it. The ESX Legacy recipe also installs ox_lib next to ESX's own esx_lib. The QBCore recipe does not use it.
• ox_inventory lists its supported frameworks on its README: ox_core, ESX, Qbox and ND. QBCore is not on that list. ESX detects it on its own: if ox_inventory is installed, es_extended switches its inventory to "ox" and hides the default F2 inventory.

Resources: what you get out of the box

A framework is only as good as the jobs and systems that come with it. Each official recipe gives you a full city, but they are built differently.

Script stores often sell a script in "ESX" and "QB" versions. On Qbox, most QB scripts run through a bridge layer, and you can keep calling exports['qb-core']:GetCoreObject(). The Qbox FAQ lists the exceptions: scripts that read QBCore's database tables directly, or that depend on qb-inventory, qb-target or qb-menu.

Learning curve for you and your developers

All three are written in Lua, and you configure all three by editing Lua config files and server.cfg. The difference is the API your scripts talk to. In ESX you load the shared object and work with xPlayer. In QBCore and Qbox you get the core object.

-- ESX Legacy (or add '@es_extended/imports.lua' to fxmanifest.lua)
local ESX = exports['es_extended']:getSharedObject()

-- QBCore, and Qbox through its QB bridge
local QBCore = exports['qb-core']:GetCoreObject()

Nobody publishes a fair measure of which one is easier, so here is what is concrete. ESX's docs include a "Developing a Script" tutorial and a "Best Coding Practices" page, and they are still maintained. QBCore's function reference is still online, but its docs now say it describes the previous implementation. Qbox expects you to know ox_lib, and its docs have a step-by-step guide for server owners moving from QBCore who don't code. If your developer already knows one of them, that usually decides it.

How to install ESX or Qbox with a txAdmin recipe

txAdmin ships with the FiveM server (FXServer) and is the install path that both ESX and Qbox recommend. It listens on port 40120 by default, while players join on 30120.

1. Get a database ready. Install MariaDB and note the host, port 3306, user and password. Qbox needs version 10.9 or newer.
2. Download the server. Get the latest recommended FXServer build and extract it to a folder you will keep.
3. Start txAdmin. Run FXServer.exe, open the page it shows, link your Cfx.re account and set a backup password.
4. Pick the recipe. Name the server, choose Popular Recipes, then ESX Legacy or Qbox.
5. Add your license key. Generate a key at portal.cfx.re under Servers, Registration Keys, and paste it into the Recipe Deployer.
6. Run the recipe. Enter the database details, click Run Recipe, then Save & Run Server. Join with localhost:30120 to test.

One change from October 2026 catches people out: the recipes now say the server name, description, tags and banners are set on the Cfx.re Portal, not in server.cfg. Lines like sv_hostname and sv_projectName no longer work there. This is the core of what the ESX recipe writes:

sv_licenseKey "your-cfx-license-key"
sv_maxclients 48
set mysql_connection_string "mysql://user:password@host/esx_legacy"
endpoint_add_tcp "0.0.0.0:30120"
endpoint_add_udp "0.0.0.0:30120"

ensure chat
ensure oxmysql
ensure esx_lib
ensure es_extended
ensure [core]
ensure [standalone]
ensure [esx_addons]

Moving an existing city from QBCore? Don't do it on the live server. The Qbox guide builds a second test server, converts a copy of your database there, and only switches players over once your staff has tested it. Characters, money, jobs, items and owned vehicles come along; houses, saved outfits, phone data and weapon attachments do not.

QBCore or ESX: which one should you pick?

1. New city, no scripts yet: ESX Legacy or Qbox. Both are active and both have an official txAdmin recipe.
2. You already bought QB scripts: Qbox. Most of them run through its bridge.
3. You want ox_inventory: ESX or Qbox, the two of these three that ox_inventory supports.
4. Your QBCore city is live and stable: keep it running, take backups, and build a Qbox test server when you have time.
5. You run freeroam, racing or drift: you may not need a framework. A basic server with vMenu, which also has a txAdmin recipe, can be enough.

Whatever you pick, read our guide on how to make a SA-MP server if your community also misses the San Andreas days, and Oxide vs Carbon for Rust for another framework choice made the same way: by checking who still maintains what.

Running ESX or Qbox on TheGameHosting

A roleplay server is a database, a few hundred resources and a community that expects the city to be up every evening. Running it from your own PC means leaving it on, opening ports 30120 and 40120 on your router and dealing with attacks on your home connection. On a FiveM server from TheGameHosting that part is handled:

• 8 GB plan and up. FiveM needs 8 GB of RAM on our plans, from $6.96 USD a month. Big cities with many streamed cars and MLOs can move to 12, 16 GB or more.
• 2 databases included. Create the database your framework needs in the panel and copy the details into your connection string. Want Qbox? Ask us in chat which database version your node runs before you deploy.
• Files and SFTP. Upload resources, vehicle packs and MLOs, or edit server.cfg in the browser. You can deploy with a txAdmin recipe or upload your resources yourself.
• Backups and Schedules. Take a backup before a framework update or a migration and roll back if it fails. Schedule daily restarts.
• Online 24/7 with DDoS protection on AMD Ryzen 9950X/7950X3D processors, DDR5 RAM and Samsung NVMe, in Dallas or Amsterdam.

The framework is the part you choose; the hardware, uptime and protection are the parts you shouldn't have to babysit. If you're starting a city on ESX Legacy or Qbox, or moving off QBCore, see our game server plans and pricing, use code FULL2026 for 15% off for life, and your server is ready about 60 seconds after payment.

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