Lua Basics

Lua is the most common scripting language for FiveM resources. Each resource runs in its own client or server context. Declare values locally, yield inside long-running threads, and validate network-event input on the server before changing authoritative player or world state.

Variables


local name = "John"
local age = 25
local isActive = true

Functions


function greet(name)
    return "Hello, " .. name
end
 
local message = greet("World")

Tables


local player = {
    name = "John",
    age = 25,
    items = {"sword", "shield"}
}
 
print(player.name) -- "John"
print(player.items[1]) -- "sword"

FiveM Functions


-- Get player
local playerId = GetPlayerPed(-1)
 
-- Get player coords
local coords = GetEntityCoords(playerId)
 
-- Trigger event
TriggerEvent('myevent', data)

Common Patterns

Debouncing


local lastTime = 0
function debouncedAction()
    local currentTime = GetGameTimer()
    if currentTime - lastTime < 1000 then
        return
    end
    lastTime = currentTime
    -- Do action
end

Threading


CreateThread(function()
    while true do
        Wait(1000)
        -- Do something every second
    end
end)