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Inventorybeginner9 min readupdated 11 Sept 2026

Choosing an inventory system for your FiveM server

The short answer

ox_inventory (officially for ox_core, ESX, Qbox and ND_Core) treats weapons as items with metadata — serials, durability, attachments — and offers stashes, shops, crafting and hooks. qb-inventory is the default for QBCore and uses QBCore’s item and weapon tables. Default ESX keeps items in the database and weapons in a separate loadout. For a new server, Qbox or ESX with ox_inventory is the most feature-complete path; QBCore with qb-inventory has the largest script catalogue.

The inventory touches every script on a roleplay server: shops, jobs, crafting, police searches, weapons. Switching later is painful, so it is worth choosing deliberately. Here is how the common options compare, with a focus on how they treat weapons.

Choosing an inventory system for your FiveM server — illustrated with a FiveM-compatible minimap render

#At a glance

ox_inventoryqb-inventoryDefault ESX
Frameworksox_core, ESX, Qbox, ND_CoreQBCoreESX
WeaponsItems with metadataItems (type = 'weapon')Loadout
Serial numbersBuilt inVia metadata/scriptsVia scripts
DurabilityBuilt inVia scriptsNo
Stashes, shops, craftingBuilt inBuilt in / companion resourcesSeparate resources
Hooks for rulesYesLimitedNo

#Weapons in each

  • ox_inventory: weapons live in slots, carry ammo, attachments, serials and durability — see serial numbers and durability.
  • qb-inventory: weapons are unique items; details come from shared/weapons.lua — see QBCore shared weapons.
  • Default ESX: weapons are a list on the player with ammo and components — see ESX items and loadout.

#Which to choose

SituationSuggestion
New server, want the ox ecosystemQbox or ESX + ox_inventory
Existing QBCore server with many QB scriptsStay on qb-inventory, or plan a Qbox migration
Old ESX serverConsider ox_inventory for weapon metadata and hooks
Heavy PvP/redzoneWhatever keeps weapon handling simple and fast

Framework choice itself: ESX vs QBCore vs Qbox.

#Migrating

Moving inventories means converting player data, rewriting shop/job/crafting integrations and re-testing every script that gives or removes items. Budget days, not hours, and do it on a copy of the database first.

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Questions

What is the best inventory for FiveM?
For new servers, ox_inventory on Qbox or ESX is the most feature-complete; QBCore servers commonly use qb-inventory.
Does ox_inventory work with QBCore?
Officially it supports ox_core, ESX, Qbox and ND_Core; QBCore servers use it through Qbox or community forks.
Are weapons items in ESX?
Not in default ESX — weapons are a loadout. With ox_inventory they become items.
Is switching inventories hard?
Yes. It touches player data and every script that handles items, so plan and test carefully.

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