How do I host a Ghost site?

Hosting Options for Ghost

Ghost is a modern publishing platform that can be deployed in two primary ways: via Ghost(Pro), the official managed service, or through self-hosting on your own infrastructure. At HostingDuty, we support both approaches depending on your technical capacity and operational needs.

Ghost(Pro) Managed Hosting

Ghost(Pro) is the official managed hosting platform provided by the Ghost team. It handles server maintenance, security patches, backups, and scaling automatically. This option is ideal for users who want to focus on content rather than infrastructure. You pay a monthly fee, and the service includes SSL certificates, CDN integration, and automated updates.

Self-Hosting Ghost

Self-hosting Ghost gives you full control over your environment but requires more technical expertise. To self-host Ghost, you need:

• A Linux-based VPS (Ubuntu or Debian recommended)
• Node.js installed (Ghost requires Node.js 16+)
• A database (MySQL or PostgreSQL)
• A domain name with DNS configured
• Reverse proxy setup (Nginx or Apache)

At HostingDuty, we offer optimized Ghost hosting plans that preconfigure these components. Our team ensures your Ghost instance is secure and performant out of the box.

Comparison: Ghost(Pro) vs Self-Hosting

| Feature | Ghost(Pro) | Self-Hosting | |---|---|---| | Setup Time | Minutes | Hours to Days | | Maintenance | Managed by Ghost | Your responsibility | | Cost | Monthly subscription | VPS + domain costs | | Control | Limited | Full | | Support | Ghost team | Your team or HostingDuty |

For detailed setup instructions, see our Ghost self-hosting tutorial or review our Ghost vs WordPress comparison.

Security and Performance Considerations

Regardless of your hosting choice, ensure you implement:

• SSL/TLS encryption (automatic with Ghost(Pro), manual with self-hosting)
• Regular backups
• Firewall rules to restrict access
• Monitoring for uptime and performance

Learn more about securing your Ghost site in our Ghost security guide or check the Ghost glossary for key terms.

External Resources

For official documentation on Ghost hosting options, refer to Ghost Developer Docs.