Install Ghost CMS on an Ubuntu VPS with Ghost-CLI

Ghost is a fast Node.js publishing platform for blogs, newsletters and memberships. Its official tool, Ghost-CLI, automates most of the setup. This guide shows how to install Ghost CMS on an Ubuntu VPS the supported way.

Before you start

• An Ubuntu LTS VPS with at least 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended) and root access.
• A domain whose A record points to the server (needed for SSL during install).
• Check Ghost's documentation for the currently supported Node.js and Ubuntu versions before installing.

Create a non-root user

Ghost-CLI refuses to run as root and does not allow a user named ghost:

adduser ghostadmin && usermod -aG sudo ghostadmin && su - ghostadmin

Install Nginx and MySQL

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx mysql-server

Allow web traffic if UFW is on: sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'. Set a password for MySQL root (Ghost-CLI asks for MySQL credentials), or better, create a dedicated user:

sudo mysql -e "CREATE USER 'ghostdb'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong-password'; GRANT ALL ON ghost_prod.* TO 'ghostdb'@'localhost';"

Install Node.js and Ghost-CLI

Install a Node.js LTS version Ghost supports (for example from the NodeSource repository), then:

sudo npm install ghost-cli@latest -g

Install Ghost

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/ghost && sudo chown ghostadmin:ghostadmin /var/www/ghost && sudo chmod 775 /var/www/ghost

cd /var/www/ghost && ghost install

The installer asks:

• Blog URL: https://example.com (include https).
• MySQL hostname, username, password, database: localhost, the user above, ghost_prod.
• Set up Nginx? Yes. Set up SSL? Yes (enter your email for Let's Encrypt).
• Set up systemd? Yes. Start Ghost? Yes.

Open https://example.com/ghost and create the owner account immediately.

Configure email

Ghost needs SMTP for staff invites, password resets and member sign-in links. Edit config.production.json:

"mail": {
  "transport": "SMTP",
  "options": {
    "host": "smtp.example.com",
    "port": 465,
    "secure": true,
    "auth": { "user": "no-reply@example.com", "pass": "mail-password" }
  }
}

Apply with ghost restart. Bulk newsletters are sent through Mailgun, configured in Ghost Admin.

Everyday commands

Run them from /var/www/ghost as the non-root user.

Back up Ghost

• Export content in Ghost Admin → Settings → Labs → Export (JSON) or with ghost backup.
• Dump the database with mysqldump ghost_prod.
• Copy /var/www/ghost/content (images, themes) and config.production.json.

Troubleshooting

• ghost install fails on permissions: the folder must be owned by your user with mode 775, and its parents readable. ghost doctor explains what is wrong.
• SSL step fails: DNS does not point to the server yet, or port 80 is blocked. Run ghost setup ssl later.
• 502 Bad Gateway: the Ghost service is not running. Check ghost ls and ghost log; MySQL credentials or Node.js version mismatches are common.
• Unsupported Node.js version: install the Node version listed in Ghost's requirements.

Ghost FAQ

Can I install Ghost on cPanel hosting?

Ghost officially supports only its Ubuntu stack; cPanel Node.js hosting is not a supported setup. Use a VPS.

Ghost or WordPress?

Ghost focuses on publishing and paid newsletters with a lean editor; WordPress offers far more themes and plugins for every kind of site.

Can I run Ghost in Docker?

Yes, there is an official image, but Ghost-CLI on Ubuntu is the setup Ghost documents and supports.

Next steps

• Install Node.js on a Linux VPS
• Back up MySQL with mysqldump
• Set up a UFW firewall