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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTo self-host Ghost, rent an Ubuntu VPS, point your domain to its IP address, create a non-root sudo user, install a Ghost-supported Node.js release, MySQL 8.0 or 8.4, and Nginx, then run Ghost-CLI inside a directory owned by that user. Ghost-CLI can configure the database connection, Nginx reverse proxy, systemd service, and Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for you. The safest setup depends on matching the Node.js release to the Ghost version you install and completing DNS before requesting SSL.
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how to self host ghost
Self-hosting means your Ghost installation runs on infrastructure you control instead of on Ghost’s managed hosting. The VPS supplies the CPU, memory, storage, public IP address, and operating system. You remain responsible for operating-system updates, database health, backups, DNS, and recovery.
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A normal production request travels through your domain’s DNS record to the VPS, reaches Nginx, and is then handed to the Ghost process running under systemd. Ghost stores content and settings in MySQL. Node.js is the runtime, while Ghost-CLI is the installation and administration layer that connects those pieces.
What Ghost-CLI does
- Installs Ghost in a directory you specify.
- Checks the installation and asks for the site URL and MySQL details.
- Can write the Nginx configuration needed to proxy web traffic to Ghost.
- Can request and renew a Let’s Encrypt certificate when DNS already resolves to the VPS.
- Can create a systemd service so Ghost starts at boot and can be managed as a background service.
You can configure Nginx and systemd manually, but the CLI route is less error-prone for a first installation because the prompts collect the values Ghost needs and apply the related configuration together.
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ghost on vps: requirements and sizing
Choose the operating system, memory, database, and runtime before creating the server. The official Ghost Ubuntu guide covers Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04. Ghost-CLI is intended to run on Ubuntu and should not be run as root.
| Requirement | Supported or recommended value | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, or 26.04 | Release coverage stated in the official Ghost guide; verify the current list before provisioning. |
| Memory | 1 GB minimum | Ghost documentation’s floor, not a performance guarantee. |
| Memory for a more comfortable site | 2 GB recommended | Recommendation from DreamHost’s guide; workload, themes, traffic, and integrations change the result. |
| Memory when sending newsletters | 4 GB suggested | DreamHost guidance for newsletter workloads; this is not a measured benchmark. |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 | The supported production choice in the official documentation. |
| Web server | Nginx 1.9.5 or later | The version cited by Ghost for SSL-capable setups. |
| Service manager | systemd | Ghost-CLI can create the service definition when you accept that prompt. |
| Network identity | A registered domain and a public VPS IP | Required for a normal public installation and Let’s Encrypt validation. |
Do not treat the 1 GB figure as an automatic promise that every theme, image-processing task, import, or newsletter send will be smooth. It is a minimum documented floor. A 2 GB VPS gives more room for the operating system, MySQL, Nginx, Ghost, and short-lived maintenance spikes; 4 GB is the safer tier if newsletter sending is part of the plan.
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Node.js support changes with Ghost releases. Current guides in circulation disagree: one recommends Node.js 22 LTS, while another describes Ghost 6 as supporting Node.js 22 or 24 LTS; older Ghost 5.x material refers to Node.js 18 and 20. Do not copy a version from an old tutorial. Check the official installation documentation for the exact Ghost release you intend to install, then install the supported LTS line before running Ghost-CLI.
Why MySQL matters
Use MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 for production. MariaDB and PostgreSQL are not the supported production path in the cited Ghost guidance. Selecting a different database can leave you outside the documented compatibility envelope and complicate upgrades or support.
install ghost on ubuntu: prepare the VPS
1. Create the server and record its IP address
Provision an Ubuntu VPS in a region close to your audience or operations team. Record the public IPv4 address (and IPv6 address if you will publish one). Keep the provider’s root credentials only for initial account setup; day-to-day Ghost commands should run as a separate sudo user.
2. Point DNS before installing SSL
At your DNS provider, create an A record for the hostname visitors will use, such as blog.example.com, pointing to the VPS IPv4 address. If you will serve the root domain, use the root-domain record required by that DNS provider. Add an AAAA record only when the VPS and your firewall are correctly configured for IPv6.
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3. Log in with a non-root sudo user
Ghost-CLI should not be run as root. Create a normal account with sudo access; do not name it ghost, because Ghost-CLI creates a system user with that name and the two identities can conflict.
sudo adduser deployer
sudo usermod -aG sudo deployer
su - deployerReplace deployer with your own username. Confirm that this account can use sudo before continuing. Keep the root shell available only for tasks that genuinely require it, such as installing operating-system packages or creating the initial directory.
4. Install Nginx, MySQL, and the correct Node.js line
Update Ubuntu’s package index and install Nginx and MySQL using the repositories and instructions appropriate to your Ubuntu release. Install the Node.js LTS release that the current Ghost documentation lists for your Ghost version. Because that compatibility matrix changes, pinning a number from an old article is unsafe.
After installation, verify that the commands are available and note their versions. The important check is not whether Node.js is merely modern, but whether it is explicitly supported by the Ghost release you selected.
5. Create a dedicated MySQL database and account
Create a database used only by this Ghost site and a MySQL user with a strong, unique password. Grant that user rights on the Ghost database rather than using the MySQL administrator account in the application.
sudo mysql
CREATE DATABASE ghost_prod;
CREATE USER 'ghost_app'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'use-a-long-unique-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ghost_prod.* TO 'ghost_app'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;The database name, username, host, and password you choose here must match the values entered during ghost install. Store the password in a password manager; Ghost will need it after installation for migrations and normal operation.
ghost cms vps setup: install Ghost with the CLI
1. Install Ghost-CLI globally
As the non-root sudo user, install the current CLI package with npm:
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sudo npm install -g ghost-cli@latestUsing sudo for the global npm installation does not mean the Ghost installer itself should be run as root. The site installation must be performed from a directory owned by your normal user.
2. Create an owned installation directory
A conventional location is /var/www/ghost. Create it with elevated privileges, then transfer ownership to the account that will run Ghost-CLI.
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/ghost
sudo chown deployer:deployer /var/www/ghost
cd /var/www/ghostUse your actual username in the chown command. If the directory is owned by root, the CLI may stop with permission errors or create files that the Ghost service cannot later modify.
3. Run the installer from that directory
Start the interactive installer:
ghost installAnswer each prompt with the values prepared earlier. The exact wording can change between CLI versions, but the decisions are consistent:
- Blog URL: enter the fully qualified HTTPS address visitors will use, including the correct hostname.
- MySQL host: use the local host value supplied by your database setup unless MySQL is intentionally on another server.
- MySQL user and password: enter the dedicated application account, not the MySQL administrator.
- Database name: enter the database created for this site.
- Nginx: accept setup if this VPS will serve Ghost directly through Nginx.
- SSL: accept the Let’s Encrypt option only after DNS resolves to this VPS and the domain is reachable.
- systemd: accept service setup so Ghost starts on boot and can be controlled as a managed service.
Allow the CLI to finish its checks. It may pause while validating the URL, connecting to MySQL, writing Nginx files, obtaining the certificate, and creating the service. Do not interrupt the process during a database migration or certificate request.
ghost-cli install ssl nginx: what the automation configures
Nginx as the public entry point
Nginx listens for web requests on the VPS and forwards them to Ghost’s local application process. The generated configuration associates the hostname you entered with that Ghost instance. If you later change domains, update the Ghost URL and Nginx configuration together; changing only one side can create redirects, broken assets, or certificate mismatches.
Let’s Encrypt certificate issuance
When SSL is enabled, Ghost-CLI requests a Let’s Encrypt certificate for the configured domain and places the HTTPS handling in Nginx. Validation fails when DNS still points elsewhere, the hostname is misspelled, a firewall blocks the validation request, or another service is already answering for the domain. Fix the underlying DNS or network condition before rerunning the certificate step rather than repeatedly requesting certificates.
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systemd service management
The systemd integration keeps Ghost running after logout and starts it again after a reboot. It also gives you a service boundary for status checks and restarts. Keep the installation directory and its ownership unchanged after setup; moving files without updating the service definition can prevent systemd from finding the application.
Verify the finished installation
Open the HTTPS URL in a private browser window and complete the initial Ghost administrator setup. Check that the browser shows a valid certificate, the administration route loads, and a test post can be saved and viewed publicly.
- Confirm that the address bar uses HTTPS and the certificate name matches the hostname.
- Open the site from a different network, such as a mobile connection, to rule out local DNS caching.
- Create a short draft, publish it, and verify that images and theme assets load.
- Log out of SSH and confirm that the site remains available; this tests that Ghost is running as a service rather than only in your terminal session.
- Reboot during a maintenance window and verify that Nginx, MySQL, and Ghost return without manual intervention.
If the installer reports success but the browser returns a gateway error, check the service status and Nginx error log first. A running Nginx process with a stopped Ghost service produces a different symptom from a DNS or certificate problem, so identify which layer is failing before changing configuration.
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Let’s Encrypt cannot validate the domain
Use a DNS lookup from outside the VPS and compare the result with the server’s public IP. If it is different, correct the A or AAAA record and wait for caches to expire. If DNS is correct, check that Nginx is listening publicly and that the VPS network policy permits HTTP and HTTPS validation traffic. Run the SSL portion again only after the hostname resolves consistently.
Ghost-CLI refuses to run as root
Exit the root shell, switch to the non-root sudo account, confirm ownership of /var/www/ghost, and rerun the command from that directory. Do not bypass the check with unsafe permission changes.
Permission denied inside the installation directory
Inspect the directory owner and group. The account running Ghost-CLI must own the installation path and be able to create files there. Correct ownership with chown, then rerun the failed step. Avoid making the entire tree world-writable; that masks the ownership problem and weakens the server.
MySQL authentication fails
Check the database name, username, host, and password character-for-character. Confirm that the account was granted privileges on the selected database and that MySQL is running. Re-enter the dedicated application credentials rather than the root password.
The site stopped after an Ubuntu kernel update
A MySQL crash after a kernel update can leave Ghost unavailable even though the VPS itself is online. Check MySQL and the Ghost service, then restart the affected service using the systemd or Ghost-CLI action created during installation. Review the service and database logs before rebooting repeatedly; the log usually identifies whether the failure is a database start problem, a port conflict, or an application error.
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Do not force the installer past the compatibility check. Confirm the Ghost release and its current Node.js support matrix in the official Ghost documentation, install the matching LTS line, and run the installer again. Guides written for Ghost 5.x may mention Node.js 18 or 20, while newer Ghost releases may require a different LTS range.
Maintenance after launch
Updates
Keep Ghost, Node.js, Ubuntu, Nginx, and MySQL within the support boundaries for your Ghost release. Ghost-CLI-based installations generally keep the application layout and service configuration together, which makes the core update workflow simpler than reconstructing a container manually, but this is a vendor-guide claim rather than a guarantee for every environment.
Before an update, take a VPS snapshot or a verified database and content backup, record the current Ghost and Node.js versions, and confirm that you can log in through SSH with sudo. Use the update command documented for the Ghost-CLI version installed on your server; command names and prerequisites can change, so do not rely on an old copied snippet. Read the release notes for database migrations, Node.js requirements, and theme compatibility before approving the change.
Backups
A VPS snapshot alone is not a complete Ghost backup if it is stored on the same provider account or region. Keep an additional copy of the MySQL database and the Ghost content directory, including uploaded images and theme files, in storage that is independent of the running server. Periodically restore a backup to a temporary environment so you know it contains usable data rather than merely completing without an error.
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Operational checks
- Watch available memory, disk space, and MySQL health; a full disk can prevent uploads, migrations, and log writes.
- Renewal of the Let’s Encrypt certificate should be tested before expiry, especially after changing DNS or Nginx.
- Review systemd and Nginx logs after Ubuntu, Node.js, MySQL, or Ghost changes.
- Document the VPS IP, DNS records, database credentials location, backup location, and recovery owner.
Choosing between VPS sizes and installation styles
| Decision | Smallest practical choice | When to choose more |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 1 GB, the documented minimum | Choose 2 GB for more operating headroom; consider 4 GB for newsletter sending or heavier workloads. |
| Operating system | An Ubuntu release listed by the current Ghost guide | Prefer the newest supported release that your provider and required integrations support. |
| Database placement | MySQL on the same VPS | Separate database infrastructure can improve isolation, but adds networking, credentials, cost, and backup complexity. |
| Web configuration | Ghost-CLI-managed Nginx | Manual Nginx is appropriate when you already operate a reverse proxy or need a custom multi-site design. |
| Runtime | The Node.js LTS line explicitly supported by your Ghost version | Do not upgrade Node.js independently until Ghost’s compatibility documentation lists it. |
For a single blog, one Ubuntu VPS with local MySQL and Ghost-CLI is usually the least complicated supported architecture. A multi-site or high-traffic deployment may justify separating services, but that is an operations decision rather than a prerequisite for running Ghost.
Final pre-launch checklist
- Ubuntu version is listed as supported for the Ghost release.
- Memory matches the workload: at least 1 GB, with 2 GB or 4 GB chosen when the documented guidance and workload warrant it.
- Node.js version was checked against the specific Ghost release instead of copied from an older guide.
- MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 is installed, with a dedicated database and application user.
- The domain’s A record resolves to the VPS before SSL issuance.
- A non-root sudo user, not a user named
ghost, owns the installation directory. - Ghost-CLI was installed globally and
ghost installwas run from the owned directory. - Nginx, Let’s Encrypt SSL, and systemd were enabled only after their prerequisites passed.
- The HTTPS site, admin area, publishing flow, reboot behavior, and backup restore path were tested.
When these checks pass, the VPS is not merely displaying a Ghost page; it has the DNS, runtime, database, proxy, certificate, and service pieces needed for a maintainable self-hosted installation.
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