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Developmentintermediate9 min readupdated 11 Sept 2026

Routing buckets in FiveM: instances without a second server

The short answer

On the server, move players with SetPlayerRoutingBucket(src, bucket) and entities with SetEntityRoutingBucket(entity, bucket); read them with GetPlayerRoutingBucket / GetEntityRoutingBucket. Disable AI population in a bucket with SetRoutingBucketPopulationEnabled(bucket, false) and set its entity lockdown with SetRoutingBucketEntityLockdownMode. Bucket 0 is the normal world — always return players there when they leave.

Routing buckets split one server into separate worlds: players and entities in bucket 5 never see bucket 0. They are how apartments feel private, how character creation hides you from the city, and how one server runs several PvP arenas at once.

Routing buckets in FiveM: instances without a second server — illustrated with a FiveM-compatible minimap render

#Moving players and entities

server.lua — a private apartment instance
local function enterInstance(src, id)
    local bucket = 1000 + id
    SetRoutingBucketPopulationEnabled(bucket, false)
    SetRoutingBucketEntityLockdownMode(bucket, 'strict')
    SetPlayerRoutingBucket(src, bucket)
end

local function leaveInstance(src)
    SetPlayerRoutingBucket(src, 0)
end

Entities must be moved separately: a player who enters an instance in a car should have the car moved with SetEntityRoutingBucket too, or they arrive without it.

#Typical uses

UseBucket plan
Character creation / multicharacterOne bucket per player while choosing
Apartments and housesOne bucket per property instance
PvP arenasOne bucket per match
EventsA dedicated bucket so the city is not affected

#Gotchas

  • Voice: whether players in different buckets hear each other depends on your voice resource — test it.
  • Scripts that loop over “nearby players” on the client only see their own bucket — usually what you want.
  • Server-created entities start in bucket 0 unless moved.
  • Track who is in which bucket so a crash or disconnect does not leave data behind.

Buckets require OneSync — see OneSync explained. Server-side spawning: server-side entities.

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Questions

What is a routing bucket in FiveM?
A separate virtual world on the same server. Players and entities only see others in the same bucket.
How do I put a player in an instance?
On the server: SetPlayerRoutingBucket(source, bucketId); return them with bucket 0.
How do I stop traffic spawning in an instance?
SetRoutingBucketPopulationEnabled(bucketId, false).
Why did my car not come with me into the instance?
Entities are moved separately with SetEntityRoutingBucket.

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