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To self-host Ghost, rent an Ubuntu VPS, point your domain’s DNS 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 install from a directory your user owns. Ghost-CLI can configure the database connection, Nginx, a Let’s Encrypt certificate, and a systemd service when you accept its prompts.
The sequence matters. DNS must resolve before certificate issuance, the CLI must not run as root, and the Node.js version must match the Ghost release you are installing. The procedure below separates fixed requirements from version-sensitive choices so you can check the current Ghost documentation at installation time.
What self-hosting Ghost on a VPS means
A VPS is a virtual Linux server whose operating system, memory, storage, networking, and software you control. With Ghost self-hosted, the Ghost application runs on that server rather than on a managed publishing service. You supply the domain, server, database, updates, and operational care; Ghost supplies the publishing application.
A typical deployment has four layers:
- DNS: your domain’s A record directs visitors to the VPS IP address.
- Nginx: the web server accepts HTTP and HTTPS traffic and passes requests to Ghost.
- Ghost: a Node.js application installed in a directory owned by your deployment user.
- MySQL: the supported production database for Ghost.
Ghost-CLI is the supported shortcut for wiring those layers together. It asks for your domain, database details, and permission to configure Nginx, SSL, and systemd. A manual Nginx setup is possible, but it leaves more configuration to you.
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Requirements for a Ghost CMS VPS setup
Ubuntu and Ghost-CLI support
The official Ghost Ubuntu guide currently lists Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04. Ghost-CLI guidance says the CLI runs on Ubuntu and should not be run as root. Choose one of those supported releases rather than assuming that any Linux distribution or an older Ubuntu image will work.
Create a normal user with sudo access for the installation. Do not name that account ghost: Ghost-CLI creates a system user with that name, so using it for your login can create a collision.
Node.js: verify the Ghost-release match
Node.js is not a “pick the newest version” decision. Published guidance differs: one installation guide recommends Node.js 22 LTS, another says Ghost 6 supports Node.js 22 or 24 LTS, and older Ghost 5.x material refers to Node.js 18 and 20. Those statements apply to different Ghost generations. Check the current compatibility requirement for the exact Ghost version you will install, then install that Node.js LTS release before running the CLI.
If the Node.js major version is outside Ghost’s supported range, installation or later upgrades can fail even when every other server component is configured correctly. Record the Ghost version and Node.js major version together so a future upgrade does not silently change the runtime.
MySQL, not an unsupported production database
Use MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 for a production Ghost installation. The production support guidance does not list MariaDB or PostgreSQL as supported alternatives. Create a dedicated MySQL database and a dedicated MySQL user for Ghost; keep those credentials available for the installer, but do not reuse a server administrator account for the application.
Memory and server capacity
Ghost’s official documentation lists 1 GB of RAM as the minimum. A hosting guide recommends 2 GB for a more comfortable general installation and suggests 4 GB when the site will send newsletters. These are guidance figures, not performance benchmarks, and the required capacity also depends on traffic, themes, integrations, image processing, and background work.
| Use case | RAM guidance | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute floor | 1 GB | Ghost’s documented minimum; leaves little room for other services or traffic spikes. |
| Typical blog | 2 GB recommended by a hosting guide | A more practical starting point for a single Ghost site, subject to workload. |
| Newsletter sending | 4 GB suggested by the same guide | Extra headroom for newsletter-related work; still not a measured guarantee. |
Choose the RAM tier before installation. Increasing memory later is usually easier than diagnosing repeated process failures on an undersized VPS, but the exact resize process depends on your VPS provider.
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Nginx, systemd, SSL, and a domain
Ghost’s documented web stack expects Nginx 1.9.5 or later for SSL, systemd for service management, and a registered domain. Ghost-CLI can install or configure the Nginx site, request a Let’s Encrypt certificate, and create the systemd service. If you already maintain Nginx yourself, you can follow the manual path in the official documentation instead of accepting the automated configuration.
How to self host ghost: the installation sequence
1. Point DNS before running the installer
In your domain registrar’s DNS panel, set the domain’s A record to the VPS’s public IPv4 address. If you will use a separate subdomain, point that hostname instead. Wait until the hostname resolves to the VPS before requesting SSL; Let’s Encrypt must be able to reach the domain to validate it.
DNS propagation commonly takes about 5 to 30 minutes, although resolvers can cache records for longer. Opening the domain in a browser before installation is a useful basic check: it should resolve to the new server, even if it only shows a default Nginx response.
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Use the administrator account supplied by your VPS provider only to create or authorize a separate sudo user. Log out of the root shell, sign in as that user, and perform the Ghost installation there. Ghost-CLI is explicitly not intended to be run as root. Running it as root can produce incorrect ownership and conflicts with the system user the CLI creates.
Keep the username different from ghost. The installer uses that name internally, so reserving it avoids an account collision.
3. Install the operating-system components
Install Nginx, MySQL, and the Node.js release required by your Ghost version. Use the package and repository instructions appropriate to your selected Ubuntu release and verify that each component starts successfully before moving on. Do not substitute MariaDB or PostgreSQL for the production database.
During MySQL setup, create the Ghost database and its application user. The installer will ask for the database host, name, username, and password. Supplying a database user with only the permissions needed by Ghost is preferable to using MySQL’s administrative account.
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4. Install Ghost-CLI globally
With Node.js and npm available to your non-root sudo user, install the current CLI package globally:
npm install -g ghost-cli@latest
The package name is deliberately versioned as latest in the documented flow. The CLI version and the Ghost version are related but not identical: the CLI installs and manages Ghost, while the Ghost application has its own release and Node.js compatibility requirements.
5. Create an owned installation directory
Choose a dedicated directory such as /var/www/ghost and make your sudo user its owner. Run the installer from inside that directory. Ghost-CLI needs to create application files, configuration, logs, and service-related metadata there; running from a directory owned by another account commonly causes permission failures.
6. Run the installer and answer every prompt
From the empty, user-owned directory, run ghost install. The prompts cover:
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- MySQL connection: provide the database name, database user, password, and host created for Ghost.
- Nginx: allow Ghost-CLI to create the site configuration if you want automated reverse-proxy setup.
- SSL: allow the Let’s Encrypt request after DNS resolves correctly.
- Systemd: allow creation of the service that starts and supervises Ghost.
Read each confirmation rather than accepting defaults blindly. The domain, database, and SSL prompts refer to resources you prepared in earlier steps; a typo in any of them can make the installation appear successful while leaving the site unreachable.
What Ghost-CLI configures for you
Nginx front end
When you approve the Nginx step, Ghost-CLI writes the site configuration needed to receive web requests and pass them to the Ghost process. This avoids hand-editing a reverse-proxy configuration and keeps the domain entered during installation tied to the generated server block.
Let’s Encrypt HTTPS
The SSL step requests a certificate from Let’s Encrypt and configures HTTPS. Certificate issuance depends on public DNS resolution and reachability. If the A record still points elsewhere, the request fails regardless of whether Ghost itself is installed correctly.
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systemd service
Ghost-CLI can create a systemd service so Ghost starts with the server and can be controlled through the operating system’s service manager. This is preferable to leaving the application attached to an interactive shell. It also gives you a defined service to restart when the process needs to be reloaded.
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Verifying a new ghost on vps installation
Check the public URL
Visit the exact domain entered in ghost install. Confirm that the browser reaches Ghost over HTTPS, that the certificate is valid for the hostname, and that the Ghost front end loads without a default Nginx page or certificate warning.
Check the administrative area
Open Ghost’s administration URL for the site and sign in with the administrator account created during setup. Create a private draft and preview it before publishing. This verifies application routing, database writes, and the theme rendering path without exposing unfinished content.
Check service ownership and persistence
Reboot testing is valuable after the first successful login: the systemd service should bring Ghost back without a manual Node.js command. If the site disappears after logout or reboot, the process was likely started interactively rather than through the configured service.
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Let’s Encrypt cannot validate the domain
First confirm that the domain’s A record returns the VPS address from outside your network. Allow for the documented 5-to-30-minute propagation window, then retry the SSL step. A stale record, a misspelled hostname, or a domain still directed at an old server prevents validation.
Ghost-CLI reports that it is running as root
Stop the installation, log in with the non-root sudo user, verify ownership of the installation directory, and run the CLI there. Do not work around the warning by forcing the command as root; that can leave files owned by root and make later upgrades fail.
Node.js is rejected or Ghost will not start
Compare the installed Node.js major version with the compatibility statement for your Ghost release. Do not rely on a guide written for another Ghost generation. Install the supported LTS major, then rerun the installation or restart the service as appropriate.
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Database connection or migration errors
Recheck the database host, database name, username, and password entered at the prompts. Confirm that the MySQL service is running and that the Ghost database user can access the selected database. MariaDB and PostgreSQL substitutions are not a supported production fix.
The site is unreachable immediately after installation
Separate DNS, Nginx, SSL, and application checks. If the hostname resolves to the wrong IP, fix DNS first. If DNS is correct but HTTPS fails, inspect the Nginx and certificate steps. If HTTPS works but Ghost returns an application error, check the systemd service status and the database connection rather than changing DNS again.
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MySQL stops after an Ubuntu kernel update
One documented failure pattern is a MySQL crash following an Ubuntu kernel update. Once MySQL is healthy again, restart the Ghost service so the application reconnects. If the database still fails to start, consult the MySQL and Ubuntu logs before attempting another Ghost installation.
Updating and maintaining Ghost
A CLI-based installation keeps Ghost’s application files and service configuration in a predictable layout, and one hosting guide claims that this makes core updates simpler than a Docker-based deployment. That is a vendor claim, not an official performance measurement. Treat every update as an operational change: confirm the Ghost release’s Node.js requirement, ensure MySQL is available, and use the current Ghost documentation for the exact update command because the command was not established in the installation references summarized here.
Do not update Node.js independently of Ghost’s compatibility matrix. A runtime change that looks harmless can prevent the existing Ghost release from starting. Likewise, changing the domain or Nginx configuration outside Ghost-CLI can invalidate the assumptions used by the generated service and SSL setup.
This installation procedure does not replace a separate plan for operating-system patching, access control, backups, monitoring, or recovery testing. Those controls are essential for a public site, but their exact commands depend on your VPS provider and organizational requirements.
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| Decision | Minimum or supported position | Practical choice |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, or 26.04 in the current official guide | Use one of those releases and keep its support lifecycle in mind. |
| RAM | 1 GB minimum | 2 GB is a more comfortable starting point for a normal blog; consider 4 GB for newsletter workloads. |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 | Provision a dedicated database and application user. |
| Runtime | Must match the Ghost release | Verify the current Node.js LTS requirement immediately before installation. |
| Web and service layer | Nginx 1.9.5 or later, systemd, registered domain | Let Ghost-CLI configure Nginx, HTTPS, and systemd unless you have a reason to manage them manually. |
Final preflight checklist
- The VPS runs a currently supported Ubuntu release.
- Your login is a non-root sudo user whose name is not
ghost. - The domain’s A record points to the VPS IP and has had time to propagate.
- The Node.js major version is approved for the exact Ghost release.
- MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 is installed, running, and has a dedicated Ghost database and user.
- The server has at least 1 GB RAM; 2 GB is a stronger baseline, and newsletter sending may justify 4 GB.
- You are inside a directory owned by your user before running
ghost install. - You understand which prompts will create Nginx, Let’s Encrypt SSL, and systemd configuration.
When those checks pass, the Ghost-CLI path is the shortest reliable route to a production-style Ghost blog on a VPS: prepare DNS and supported software first, install as a normal sudo user, and let the CLI create the web, certificate, and service plumbing.
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