Entity limits and cleanup on a FiveM server
Every networked vehicle, ped and object has to be synced to nearby players. Scripts that spawn things and never delete them — job vehicles, dropped props, test spawns — slowly fill the world until sync slows down and odd bugs appear. Counting and cleaning entities is basic server hygiene.
Short answer: Count entities on the server with GetAllVehicles(), GetAllPeds() and GetAllObjects(), watch how the numbers grow between restarts, and find the resources that create entities without deleting them. Fix the scripts (delete on job end, on resource stop, on player drop), add a conservative cleanup for abandoned vehicles with a warning, and lower population density if AI traffic is the load.

#Counting entities
RegisterCommand('entities', function(src)
local msg = ('vehicles %d · peds %d · objects %d'):format(#GetAllVehicles(), #GetAllPeds(), #GetAllObjects())
if src == 0 then print(msg) else TriggerClientEvent('chat:addMessage', src, { args = { 'Entities', msg } }) end
end, true)Run it after a restart and again a few hours later. Healthy servers level off; leaking ones keep climbing.
#Finding the leak
- Group vehicles by model and plate pattern — job vehicles often share a prefix.
- Check entity state bags or owners to see which script created them.
- Stop suspect resources one by one on a test server and watch the counts.
#Cleaning up safely
local function cleanup()
TriggerClientEvent('chat:addMessage', -1, { args = { 'Server', 'Empty vehicles are cleared in 60 seconds.' } })
Wait(60000)
for _, veh in ipairs(GetAllVehicles()) do
local occupied = false
for seat = -1, 6 do
if GetPedInVehicleSeat(veh, seat) ~= 0 then occupied = true break end
end
if not occupied and not Entity(veh).state.owned then
DeleteEntity(veh)
end
end
endMark player-owned vehicles (for example with an owned state bag set by your garage) so cleanup never deletes them. Server-side spawning and orphan mode: server-side entities.
#AI population
Traffic and pedestrians are entities too. Lower densities in busy servers, or disable AI population entirely with onesync_population false if your game mode does not need it — see traffic and ped density.
Questions
How do I count entities on my FiveM server?
#GetAllVehicles(), #GetAllPeds() and #GetAllObjects().Why do entity counts keep growing?
Should I auto-delete vehicles?
How do I turn off AI traffic?
onesync_population false to disable population.Ready to pick a map?
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