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Run Ghost as a localhost application and let Apache serve as the public reverse proxy. The dependable order is: point DNS at the VPS, install Ghost in production mode, keep Ghost bound to localhost, proxy it through Apache, terminate TLS at Apache, and set Ghost’s canonical URL to the final HTTPS address. Ghost-CLI officially configures NGINX, so an Apache deployment requires a manually written VirtualHost that preserves the host and forwarding headers Ghost needs.
What the finished architecture looks like
A production Ghost site has three distinct layers:
- DNS: your domain resolves to the VPS public address.
- Apache: listens publicly on ports 80 and 443, handles TLS, and proxies requests.
- Ghost: runs as a local service, normally listening on
127.0.0.1:2368, where it is not directly reachable from the internet.
Browsers never need to connect to Ghost’s port directly. Apache receives the request, keeps the original hostname, tells Ghost whether the original request was HTTP or HTTPS, and forwards the response back to the browser. This is the manual Apache equivalent of the reverse-proxy arrangement Ghost expects. Ghost’s documentation describes the application as designed to have a reverse proxy in front of it.
| Layer | Public or private | Job |
|---|---|---|
| DNS records | Public | Map the domain to the VPS IPv4 address and, if used, IPv6 address. |
| Apache on :80 | Public | Accept cleartext requests and redirect them to HTTPS. |
| Apache on :443 | Public | Present the certificate and proxy encrypted-site requests. |
| Ghost on 127.0.0.1:2368 | Private | Serve the publication and admin application locally. |
| MySQL | Private | Store Ghost content and configuration. |
There is no authoritative performance benchmark in the available Ghost or Apache material for this exact arrangement, so do not choose CPU, RAM, or request-rate targets from a supposed Apache-versus-NGINX benchmark. Use the current Ghost installation checks and your VPS provider’s sizing guidance.
Before you install: VPS, DNS, and firewall prerequisites
Start with a clean production server
Ghost’s hosting guidance supports installation on almost any VPS provider and recommends a fresh Ubuntu production environment with SSL. Use a current Ubuntu image, log in with an administrative account, and create a separate non-root deployment user. Ghost-CLI creates and uses a low-privilege ghost user as part of its supported production workflow; do not run the Ghost process as root.
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Install the Node.js release and MySQL version that the current Ghost-CLI checks accept. Compatibility changes over time, so follow the version checks printed by the installer rather than pinning an old runtime from an unrelated tutorial. Apache can already be installed, or you can install it before creating the site:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2
sudo systemctl enable --now apache2Create DNS records first
Create an A record for the hostname you will make canonical, such as example.com, pointing to the VPS public IPv4 address. If the VPS has a working public IPv6 address and you intend to serve IPv6, add an AAAA record as well. Add a www record only when you plan to redirect it to the canonical hostname.
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|---|---|---|
A |
example.com → VPS IPv4 |
Always, for IPv4 access. |
AAAA |
example.com → VPS IPv6 |
Only when IPv6 is configured end to end. |
A or CNAME for www |
www.example.com |
Only if you will accept and redirect the www hostname. |
Wait until public DNS resolves to the VPS before requesting a Let’s Encrypt certificate. ACME validation must be able to reach the domain over the public internet; a local hosts-file override is not sufficient.
Open both HTTP and HTTPS
Permit TCP ports 80 and 443 in the VPS firewall and in any provider-level firewall. If you use UFW, the equivalent rules are:
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw statusDo not expose Ghost’s application port publicly. If your provider firewall has a broad rule allowing port 2368, remove it and keep Ghost bound to localhost.
Install Ghost in production mode
Prepare the site directory
Use a directory owned by the deployment user. The following example uses /var/www/ghost; substitute your own path consistently.
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sudo npm install -g ghost-cli@latest
mkdir -p /var/www/ghost
sudo chown "$USER":"$USER" /var/www/ghost
cd /var/www/ghost
ghost installThe installer asks for the publication URL and database details. Enter the final HTTPS URL, for example https://example.com, even if TLS is not active yet. Ghost requires a production URL, and later changes take effect after a Ghost restart.
Handle Ghost-CLI’s NGINX prompts deliberately
Ghost-CLI is Ghost’s supported production installation tool. Its normal flow configures MySQL, systemd, NGINX, and optional SSL. Because this deployment uses Apache, treat the NGINX and NGINX-managed SSL stages as an adaptation point:
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- Allow Ghost-CLI to complete the application, database, systemd, and permission work it supports.
- Do not leave two public proxies competing for ports 80 and 443. Stop or disable NGINX before Apache takes those ports.
- If the installer offers to generate NGINX configuration or obtain SSL, skip that stage when possible. If it creates files, do not copy them into Apache verbatim; create the Apache VirtualHosts shown below.
- Keep Ghost listening on localhost. The public web server is Apache, not the Ghost process.
When prompted for a site URL, database name, database user, and password, use the values appropriate to this site and retain them securely. The exact prompts vary by Ghost version, so follow the checks and error messages from the installed Ghost-CLI release.
Verify Ghost locally before involving Apache
Test the application from the VPS itself. This separates Ghost and database problems from DNS, firewall, and proxy problems.
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cd /var/www/ghost
ghost status
curl -I http://127.0.0.1:2368ghost status should show the service state for the installed version, and the local curl command should return an HTTP response from Ghost. Do not interpret a command that merely runs without an error as proof that Ghost is healthy; inspect the response and the Ghost logs if the service is stopped or the connection is refused.
If Ghost is bound to a different local port, use that port in every Apache ProxyPass directive. The common production port is 2368, but the installed configuration is authoritative.
Enable Apache’s reverse-proxy modules
On Ubuntu, enable proxying, header manipulation, rewriting, and TLS support, then reload Apache:
sudo a2enmod proxy proxy_http headers rewrite ssl
sudo systemctl reload apache2proxy_http forwards HTTP requests to Ghost, headers sets the forwarding metadata Ghost uses, rewrite handles HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects, and ssl enables the TLS VirtualHost. Enabling a module does not replace a configuration test; run apachectl configtest after every substantial edit.
Create Apache’s HTTP VirtualHost
Write the site configuration
Create /etc/apache2/sites-available/ghost.conf. Replace both hostnames with the names you actually configured in DNS.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:2368/
ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:2368/
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto "http"
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Port "80"
RequestHeader set X-Real-IP "%{REMOTE_ADDR}s"
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/ghost-error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/ghost-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>ProxyPreserveHost On passes the requested hostname to Ghost instead of replacing it with the upstream address. ProxyPassReverse rewrites response redirect headers that point back to the local application. The forwarding headers preserve the protocol, port, and client address information that the application cannot otherwise see behind Apache.
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The X-Forwarded-Proto value must describe the connection that the browser made to Apache. This HTTP-only VirtualHost therefore sends http. When Apache terminates TLS, the HTTPS VirtualHost must send https; sending the wrong value is a common cause of an endless HTTPS redirect loop.
Enable and test the site
sudo a2ensite ghost.conf
sudo apachectl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2If the default Apache page appears, disable the default site or correct the hostname selection:
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sudo apachectl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2At this stage, HTTP may still be cleartext. The certificate and the final HTTPS redirect are added next.
Obtain and install HTTPS with Certbot
Install the Apache plugin
sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apacheRequest a certificate for every hostname you intend to serve:
sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.comOmit www.example.com from both DNS and the Certbot command when you do not use that hostname. Certbot’s Apache plugin finds the matching VirtualHost and adds TLS directives. Live certificate files are kept under /etc/letsencrypt/live/<domain>/.
Certbot may create or modify an HTTPS VirtualHost and may add an HTTP redirect. Review the resulting file rather than assuming the generated proxy block contains every Ghost-specific directive.
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The TLS VirtualHost must retain the proxy settings and include these headers:
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:2368/
ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:2368/
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto "https"
RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Port "443"
RequestHeader set X-Real-IP "%{REMOTE_ADDR}s"Keep the certificate directives that Certbot inserted. If the HTTP VirtualHost still serves content instead of redirecting, add a simple redirect there or accept the redirect generated by Certbot, but ensure there is one clear path from HTTP to the canonical HTTPS hostname.
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Ghost recommends SSL for production because credentials sent without HTTPS travel in plaintext. Certificate issuance is not complete until DNS points at this VPS and ports 80 or 443 are reachable as required by the selected ACME challenge.
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systemctl list-timers | grep certbot
sudo certbot renew --dry-runThe dry run tests the renewal workflow without replacing the live certificate. Keep the timer enabled and investigate any failed renewal before the certificate’s expiration window.
Set Ghost’s canonical URL after TLS is ready
From the Ghost directory, set the exact public URL and restart the service:
cd /var/www/ghost
ghost config url https://example.com
ghost restartUse one canonical hostname. If you accept www.example.com, redirect it consistently to the chosen primary domain rather than allowing two separate public addresses. Ghost’s URL controls generated links, redirects, admin access, and other absolute URLs. A wrong value can produce access-denied responses, redirects to localhost, or a loop between HTTP and HTTPS.
After changing the URL, verify that Apache’s ServerName, DNS, certificate names, and Ghost’s configured URL all agree. A mismatch in any one of those layers can look like an application failure even when Ghost itself is running normally.
Validate the complete deployment from outside the VPS
Run these checks from a separate machine or network, not only from the server:
curl -I http://example.com
curl -I https://example.com
curl -I https://example.com/ghost/
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com </dev/null| Check | Expected result | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP homepage | One redirect to the canonical HTTPS URL. | Inspect the port-80 VirtualHost and redirect rules. |
| HTTPS homepage | Successful TLS negotiation and a Ghost response. | Check DNS, port 443, certificate coverage, and the HTTPS proxy block. |
/ghost/ |
Ghost admin login page. | Check the Ghost service, canonical URL, and Apache error log. |
openssl s_client |
The certificate names the requested hostname and chains correctly. | Review Certbot’s certificate and the selected TLS VirtualHost. |
| Apache logs | Requests appear in the site’s access log and proxy errors are absent. | Check ghost-error.log, ghost-access.log, and Ghost logs. |
Also load the homepage in a browser, sign in to /ghost/, and test an upload. An apparently working homepage does not prove that admin requests, redirects, or media handling are correct.
Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
Infinite redirect between HTTP and HTTPS
Inspect the HTTPS VirtualHost first. It must send RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Proto "https" and RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-Port "443". Keep ProxyPreserveHost On. If Apache tells Ghost that a TLS request was HTTP, Ghost may keep redirecting to HTTPS because it never sees the secure scheme it expects.
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Then check ghost config url. The configured URL must already be https:// with the same canonical hostname used in the browser. Restart Ghost after correcting it.
The browser shows Apache’s default page
Usually the request is selecting the default site rather than ghost.conf, or DNS points elsewhere. Confirm the requested hostname resolves to this VPS, run sudo a2ensite ghost.conf, disable 000-default.conf if it is still winning, and reload Apache after a successful config test.
502 Bad Gateway or connection refused
Check ghost status and curl -I http://127.0.0.1:2368 on the VPS. If the local request fails, fix Ghost, Node.js compatibility, MySQL, permissions, or the systemd service before changing Apache. If the local request works, compare the port in the Apache ProxyPass line with Ghost’s actual listening port and inspect the Apache error log.
Ghost generates links to localhost:2368
Set the canonical URL again and restart Ghost. Then confirm that Apache preserves the original host. A missing or incorrect ProxyPreserveHost On directive can cause the upstream application to see the loopback address instead of the public domain.
Certificate issuance fails
Verify that every requested name resolves publicly to this VPS, that port 80 or 443 is open through both firewalls, and that Apache answers for the name in question. Do not request a certificate for a www name that has no DNS record or that you do not intend to serve.
Uploads or admin requests are rejected
Confirm that /ghost/ reaches Ghost over HTTPS, that Apache is proxying the entire path rather than only the homepage, and that the Ghost service user can write to the directories required by the installed version. Read both Apache and Ghost logs for the specific request instead of changing unrelated proxy directives.
Operate the site safely after launch
- Keep Ghost, Ghost-CLI, Node.js, MySQL, Ubuntu, Apache, and Certbot within the compatibility ranges documented for the currently installed Ghost release.
- Run
ghost statusafter maintenance and useghost restartafter changing Ghost configuration. - Run
sudo apachectl configtestbefore every Apache reload. - Monitor certificate renewal with the Certbot timer and periodic dry runs.
- Back up the Ghost content directory and MySQL database before upgrades or major configuration changes.
- Keep port 2368 private and limit administrative access to the VPS itself or an appropriate secure network path.
- Review Apache access and error logs when redirects, uploads, or admin sessions behave unexpectedly.
Apache is a valid manual integration choice, but it is not the proxy configuration Ghost-CLI generates automatically. Treat the VirtualHost as infrastructure you own: document the canonical hostname, upstream port, TLS certificate paths, forwarding headers, and renewal procedure so another administrator can recover the site without guessing.
Quick Recap
Deployment checklist
- Use a current Ubuntu VPS and a non-root deployment user.
- Install the Node.js and MySQL versions accepted by the current Ghost-CLI checks.
- Create
Aand optionalAAAArecords, and awwwrecord only when needed. - Open TCP 80 and 443 in provider and VPS firewalls.
- Install Ghost with
ghost installand enter the final HTTPS URL. - Keep Ghost bound to localhost and confirm it with
ghost statusand localcurl. - Enable Apache’s proxy, headers, rewrite, and SSL modules.
- Create and enable the HTTP VirtualHost with host preservation and forwarding headers.
- Obtain the certificate with Certbot’s Apache plugin.
- Check the HTTPS VirtualHost for
X-Forwarded-Proto "https"andX-Forwarded-Port "443". - Set
ghost config url https://example.comand restart Ghost. - Test redirects, the homepage,
/ghost/, certificate names, logs, and renewal.
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