The Reason Ghost Installation Is So Beneficial During COVID-19

Author : Berg Fisker | Published On : 04 May 2024

How to Set Up a Ghost Installation

Ghost is a brand new CMS that is targeted at bloggers and content writers. It has some unique features that differentiate it from other CMS solutions like WordPress.

Ghost is easy to install and configure for production. In this article, we'll use ghostCLI, a command-line tool that can quickly and efficiently install and configure Ghost.

Installing Ghost


Ghost is a open-source blog publishing platform that gives you a an attractive interface for creating and publish content. It was developed following the success of a crowdfunding campaign as an unprofitable project and is now accessible without licensing restrictions. It is used by a number of developers around world and has a large community of users who support it. It is a lightweight and responsive CMS that works on all devices.

To install Ghost, follow the steps below: First, log into your droplet using SSH and change the prompt of your user to # (it should be the only thing on your screen). This will tell your terminal that it is installing the software. Run the command node-v to verify that it is installed correctly.

After a short time, Ghost will prompt you to enter the URL of your blog. It's best to do this before you've set up your domain and made your website public. This gives you the chance to test out your blog and correct any mistakes before making it public.

After that, press enter to start the installation process. The installation process will take couple of minutes. If asked for your hostname use 127.0.0.1. (Using the default will make it impossible for Ghost to use IPv6 addresses and could cause an ECONNREFUSED later on). If you are asked if it is your intention to install Systemd, answer by saying.

This will set up Nginx to host your Ghost blog. It will redirect requests from port 80 to the port Ghost is running on, and provide a layer of indirection for your visitors, so they don't need to add :2368 at the end of the address. It will also create the proper HTTP headers so that you can view your visitors' IP addresses in Ghost logs.

You will need to add Ghost as a database user. Create a user named ghostuser with a secure password and a username that is suitable. Add it to the sudoers group so that it can run sudo commands. After that, run su - ghostuser to start an account as the ghostuser user.

Configuring Nginx

Nginx can be used as a webserver to serve static content. It can also be used as a reverse proxy, and to connect to FastCGI applications. It is a lighter alternative to Apache that can offer better performance and less memory footprint.

Nginx can be configured to load its configuration files without needing to shut down and then restart. This is done by sending an alert to the master process which then checks the syntax and makes any necessary changes. It also sends a message to old worker processes, asking them to not accept new connections, and to continue to service existing ones.

To create a configuration file for Nginx, open the "/etc/nginx/sites-available/" directory and then create a symbolic link to the file you want to use in the "/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/" directory. The symbolic links, also known as symlinks will be used to track which of the Nginx server blocks are enabled. This allows your nginx to respond to requests from your domain as well as your default site.

The nginx configuration syntax is extremely flexible. You can set up a variety of options, including allowing SSL connections and reverse proxies, setting up reverse proxy servers, and much more. Visit the official Nginx Documentation for more details.

Nginx, unlike Apache utilizes an event-driven Asynchronous Connection Handling algorithm instead of spawning new processes for every request. This makes it more efficient, especially for websites that experience large amounts of traffic. It is possible to configure it to cache static pages on your site. This can boost performance.

Nginx is a good choice to use as a reverse proxy, which routes clients' (e.g. Requests from web browsers can be directed to other servers by using Nginx. This can be beneficial to balance load and speed up websites. It also offers security.

You can verify that the Nginx is accepting HTTP requests using a tool like nginxstat, or by looking at the logs under the "/var/log/nginx/ directory on your Ubuntu computer. This will highlight any errors that may be occurring.

You can also use the systemctl command to start and stop Nginx. Type the following to do this:

Configuring Ghost

Once Ghost is installed, you can begin using it to publish a blog. You can also modify the appearance and style of your website by using themes. There are a variety of themes available on Ghost that range from simple to advanced. Some themes are free, while others are not. No matter which theme you choose, bear in mind that Ghost's primary purpose is to be a blogging platform. It's not designed for more complicated pages, like landing pages or online stores.

You can configure Ghost to use an SMTP email server to send newsletters and notifications. This is essential to ensure that your followers get emails from you and don't get any. Fortunately, there are many reliable SMTP services that you can connect to Ghost. However, installing ghost immobiliser to keep in mind that you'll need to have a separate password and login for SMTP than for your Ghost account. Make sure to record your SMTP details or keep them in a safe location.

You can modify Ghost's default behavior with a custom configuration file and alter it to meet your requirements. You can use the ghost-cli command create a custom config file. There are a few options for configuration that are required by default, and many additional ones.

You can add a Redis cache adapter to allow Ghost to store data in memory rather than in the database. This can reduce response times by avoiding the necessity to fetch data from a database every time a new page is rendered. This is particularly useful for sites with complex templates and large traffic that require many get helpers.

The command ghost-cli with -cache-adapter adapter> --configure_cache( adapter>) will configure the cache adapter and set the size of the cache. You can also modify the cache name, which appears in the admin panel.

It's important to keep your Ghost installation up-to-date to ensure that it functions effectively and is secure. Ghost releases new versions of its software regularly. On the official website you can learn how to upgrade the software. If you're upgrading to a different version, make sure you back up your data and files first.

Starting Ghost

After the setup phase after which the Ghost will begin its hunting phase. During this time, the Ghost will be visible to all players and will begin to move around the map, killing anyone it encounters. In the closets, rooms, or behind furniture to stay out of this hazard of the game. The Ghost will only kill players in its line of sight, so it is important to hide at all times.

In the DigitalOcean marketplace, choose the "Droplet" option and choose the plan you want to begin with (the most affordable one is sufficient for the moment). After you've created your droplet, take note of its public IP address. This will be required later on when you connect via SSH.

Once you have your server set up and you are able creating blog pages and posts for your Ghost blog. You can select from a variety of themes for free and premium ones, too. The platform also allows a variety of integrations like Google Analytics, Zapier, MailChimp, and more. It makes use of Markdown rather than visual WYSIWYG editing which lets you focus on writing instead of designing. This makes it a great choice for blogs, magazines and portfolio sites.