How To Protect A RedM Server

RedM servers are a popular target for DDoS attacks. Wild West roleplay communities are small and close, rivalries are personal, and a server that goes down during a busy evening is an easy way to do damage. This guide explains how to protect a RedM server in layers: your own setup, your scripts and your hosting network.

Know What You Are Protecting Against

• Volumetric Floods. Huge amounts of traffic that fill your network connection so nothing else gets through.
• Connection And Query Floods. Fake connection attempts and server queries that look like players and overload the game process. These are Layer 7 attacks.
• Script Abuse. Players or cheats that spam server events until the server lags or crashes.
• Break-Ins. Weak passwords or open admin tools that let someone take control of the machine.

New to the topic? Read What Is A DDoS Attack? first.

Layer 1: Protection In The Network

This is the layer that stops large attacks, and nothing you do on the server can replace it. Attack traffic must be filtered before it reaches your machine, in the network in front of your server. When you choose a host for RedM, check:

• Protection is included and always on.
• Filtering happens in the provider's network, before your server.
• There is Layer 7 filtering that understands RedM game traffic.
• You can manage ports and country blocking yourself.

Linceris.com servers run behind DataForest.net DDoS protection, with custom Layer 7 mitigation for game server traffic. Learn more in How DDoS Protection Works.

Layer 2: Lock Down The Machine

1. Firewall. Open only the game port (30120 on TCP and UDP by default). Keep the database port closed to the internet.
2. Private Admin Tools. Restrict txAdmin and any web panel to your own IP address.
3. SSH Keys. Turn off password logins and use keys.
4. A Normal User. Run the server as a user without root rights.
5. Updates. Keep the operating system and the server build up to date.

The commands for all of these are in How To Secure A Linux VPS For Your Game Server.

Layer 3: Be Careful With Your IP Address

• Give players a domain name instead of the raw IP.
• Do not post the IP in public screenshots, logs or video descriptions.
• Cfx.re offers server settings that reduce how your endpoint is shown in the public server list. Check the current Cfx.re documentation for the options available.

Be realistic: players must connect to your server, so the IP can never be fully hidden. This step makes casual attacks harder, and it does not replace network protection.

Layer 4: Clean Up Your Scripts

Many "attacks" on RedM servers are really script abuse. A cheater who triggers a server event thousands of times per second can lag a server without any network flood.

• Prefer well-maintained resources with active support.
• Do not install leaked or unknown scripts. They can contain backdoors.
• Make sure important server events check who is calling them and limit how often they can run.
• Add scripts one at a time and read the console after each restart.
• Use an anti-cheat that works with your framework, and keep it updated.

Layer 5: Watch And Prepare

• Check your provider's traffic graphs and the txAdmin charts regularly. You will learn what normal looks like and notice changes faster.
• Keep backups of your database and resources, stored away from the server.
• Know how to reach your host's support quickly, and have a Discord announcement ready for outages.
• After any incident, check your logs for patterns. Repeated attacks often follow bans or disputes.

Signs You Are Under Attack

• Many players drop at the same moment with no crash in the console.
• Everyone's ping spikes together.
• The server cannot be reached from outside while the machine still runs.
• Your traffic graph shows a sudden jump.

Do not blame every problem on an attack. A heavy script or a slow database can look similar. For performance problems, the lag guide for FiveM Server Lag also applies to RedM.

Starting From The Beginning?

If you have not built your server yet, follow How To Create A RedM Server, then come back to this checklist. The same ideas for FiveM are in How To Protect A FiveM Server.

Host It Protected

See our VPS packages, hosted in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, or read how our DDoS protection works.