Deploy Ghost CMS to Your Own Server in 5 Minutes
HowToDeploy Team
Lead Engineer @ howtodeploy
Ghost is one of the best open-source blogging platforms available — fast, clean, and built for professional publishing. But self-hosting it typically means provisioning a server, installing Node.js, setting up MySQL, configuring Nginx, and wrangling Let's Encrypt certificates.
With HowToDeploy, the entire process takes about 5 minutes.
Prerequisites
Before you start, you'll need:
- A HowToDeploy account (sign up free)
- A cloud provider API key (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, or AWS)
Step 1: Connect your cloud provider
Head to Settings → Cloud Providers and paste your API key. We support all major providers — pick whichever you prefer.
Tip: If you're not sure which provider to choose, DigitalOcean and Hetzner offer the best price-to-performance ratio for Ghost CMS.
Step 2: Deploy Ghost
Navigate to the Dashboard and find Ghost CMS in the app catalog. Click the card to open the deploy form.
You'll need to fill in just two fields:
- Admin email — your login email for the Ghost admin panel
- Admin password — choose a strong password
Everything else is pre-configured with sensible defaults: the right server size (2GB RAM), the nearest region, and MySQL pre-installed.
Step 3: Add a custom domain (optional)
If you want your blog on a custom domain like blog.example.com, expand Advanced Settings and enter your domain.
After deployment, we'll show you the server IP. Point an A record for your domain to that IP, click Verify DNS, and Caddy will automatically issue an SSL certificate.
Step 4: Start writing
Once deployment completes, click the URL to open your Ghost admin panel. Sign in with the credentials you set during deployment, and you're ready to publish.
What's included
Every Ghost deployment includes:
- MySQL 8.0 — pre-configured and optimized
- Caddy — automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
- Managed updates — we notify you when new Ghost versions are available
- Full SSH access — your server, your rules
Pricing
You pay your cloud provider directly for the server (typically $6-12/month depending on provider and region). HowToDeploy charges a small monthly management fee to handle updates, monitoring, and support.
Start with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required.
Ready to launch your blog? Deploy Ghost CMS now →
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