The cfx.re key
Getting it, replacing it, and what happens when it is refused.
01What the key is for
FiveM requires a license key for every server: it ties the server to a Cfx.re account, and without it the server refuses to start. Nova Studio does not provide it: you create it with your own Cfx.re account, and it stays under your control. The purchase flow asks for it once, before payment (getting started).
02Getting it
Sign in on portal.cfx.re with your Cfx.re account, open the "Servers" section and create a key with "Generate Key", leaving the IP address field empty. Copy the key: it starts with cfxk_ and contains only letters, digits, _ and -. The old Keymaster site has been replaced by this portal; a tutorial that still sends you there is out of date.
Paste it as is. An extra space, a character lost while copying, or a Steam key pasted in the wrong place, and the format is refused as you type, before anything is saved. The key is encrypted on our side and is never shown in full again: the account area only shows its end.
03Replacing it
The server owner replaces it from the Configuration screen, "cfx.re key" card: it shows the end of the saved key, and "Replace the key" opens the input. The card does not appear for team members: the key stays with the owner, whatever role the others are given (inviting your team).
The new key applies at the next server start, not before: while it runs, the server keeps the old one. Restart it from its page, then check in the console that it starts without a license error.
04When it is refused
A revoked key, one deleted from your Cfx.re account or one copied wrong makes the server stop right after starting. The diagnosis on the server page then shows "The server is stopped", and the console tells why. Set its level to "Errors" or search for "license" to find it quickly. Replace the key, then restart.
If the key is right and the server still stops, the cause is elsewhere: understanding the diagnosis goes through every finding on the server page, and the troubleshooting guide covers the other common failures of a FiveM server.
05The Steam key, its neighbor
The server also needs a Steam Web API key: FiveM uses it to read players' Steam identity. It is created on steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey while signed in to Steam; the domain name it asks for is free text, and the key is 32 characters long, digits and letters from A to F.
It is replaced in the Configuration screen, "Steam Web API Key" field. A saved key is never shown again: leave the field empty to keep it, or type a new one to replace it, then save and restart. The configuration history never keeps its value.
06Good habits
Never publish the key, neither in a screenshot nor in a Discord channel: it is tied to your Cfx.re account. If it has leaked, revoke it on the portal, create another one and replace it here. The key is not set in game: /admin does not see it, and a team member cannot read it.