One of the first things you’ll hear when getting into FiveM scripting is “client-side” and “server-side.” If that sounds confusing right now, don’t worry. Once you understand how these two parts communicate, it’s like learning the secret language behind every FiveM system.
The client side runs on each player’s game. It controls what that player sees and experiences — things like drawing text on the screen, spawning vehicles for them, or detecting when they press a key.
The server side runs on your actual server machine. It handles shared data like player money, jobs, inventory, and coordinates events between multiple players.
For example, if you want to create a command that gives a player some in-game cash, you can’t just do it client-side. Otherwise, players could cheat and give themselves infinite money. Instead, you’d send a message (called an event) from the client to the server saying “hey, this player wants to earn cash.” Then the server decides whether that’s allowed and updates the player’s money safely.
Events are the bridge between client and server. You’ll see them all the time in FiveM scripts. They usually look something like this:
RegisterNetEvent('giveMoney')
AddEventHandler('giveMoney', function(amount)
local player = source
-- code to give money safely
end)
Once you understand how these events work, you can build anything — from simple notifications to full multiplayer systems.
The FiveM Development Course over on the LearnFiveM homepage walks you through exactly how this works step by step, with real examples you can follow along with. You’ll actually see how the client and server communicate, and how to write secure, efficient scripts that players can’t exploit.
If you’re serious about learning FiveM development, mastering this concept early will save you endless frustration later. It’s the foundation of everything you’ll build.