MySQL Servers

MySQL-Server vs MariaDB

Most resources for FiveM were designed to be used with MySQL 5.7 and may hit compatibility issues when using MySQL 8, i.e.

More reserved keywords, like 'stored' and 'group'.
Longtext / JSON fields do not support default values. MariaDB is highly recommended for compatibility, and improved performance (over all versions of MySQL).

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For Development, it is okay to use XAMPP, but for Production, it is highly Recommended to install a MariaDB Server directly.

Run the installer that you downloaded and click Next.
Accept the License Agreement and click Next.
You will then be shown this window, just ignore it and press Next.
You will then be asked to Set a Password for the root user, this should be a strong password, as it is the main user for the database.
Once you have set a password, click Next.
It will then show you this window, it is recommended to leave it as default, but you can change it if you want.
Click Next and then Install and it will install.
Done! You now have a MariaDB Server running on your machine!

Note: you may get this warning, just ignore it and click OK

When Asked to select components, make sure to un-select everything except for MySQL Server.
It will then ask for an install location, you can leave it as default, or change it to your liking.
It will then ask for your language preference
After that, click Next and it will install.
Once Installed, click Finish and Head to the next Step!

It is highly recommended to run the XAMPP Control Panel as Administrator.

Optional: You can also press this button To Install it as a Service, so it will start automatically when you start your PC.