How to Install Ghost on Ubuntu 24.04

Before installing Ghost on Ubuntu 24.04, make sure you have enough space available for the prerequisites to be downloaded on your system. After that, you can perform the below-given steps to install Ghost on your Ubuntu server:

Step 1: Installing NGINX Server on Ubuntu

To set up Ghost on Ubuntu, you are required to install the NGINX web server on your system. The reason is that NGINX is a reverse proxy and can significantly improve the Ghost’s performance and security.

A stable version of the NGINX web server can be installed on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt install nginx -y

After successfully installing NGINX, use the systemctl command given below to check the server’s status and ensure it is actively running:

sudo systemctl status nginx

Step 2: Setting Up Firewall on Ubuntu

To secure the NGINX server and protect it from unauthorized access, you can install Firewall on Ubuntu using the command provided below:

sudo apt install ufw -y

Before applying the Firewall rule, make sure the Firewall is enabled on your system, it can be done using the command provided below:

sudo ufw enable

Once completing the Firewall installation and enabling it, implement the Firewall rule to allow NGINX traffic using the below-given command:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

The command will open port 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) for NGINX server on Ubuntu:

After you have added a new Firewall rule, it’s now time to update the changes by reloading the Firewall using the following command:

sudo ufw reload

Step 3: Installing MySQL on Ubuntu

For creating a Ghost database, first, you need to install a database like MySQL server on Ubuntu. To do this, you can run the below command from the terminal:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

You must also note that the MariaDB server won’t work here for Ghost because it is officially not supported yet.

Optional: It is also a good approach to secure your MySQL installation and implement some rules based on your choice. It includes setting a strong password, removing root accounts accessible from outside hosts, and more. You can perform MySQL secure installation by running the below-given command:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

You can then pick the options you like to secure your MySQL installation on Ubuntu:

Step 4: Creating a Ghost Database on Ubuntu

Once you set up MySQL, it’s time to create a Ghost database on Ubuntu. For this purpose, first enter the MySQL monitor by executing the mysql command with sudo privileges, as follows:

sudo mysql

After this, execute the CREATE USER command to create a new user for your Ghost database and set up a strong password according to your preferences:

CREATE USER 'write-your-user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'write_your_password';

After that, create a Ghost database by setting the database name according to your choice using the following syntax:

CREATE DATABASE database_name;

Once done, grant all privileges to the database you created with your desired username using the following syntax:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON database_name.* TO 'write-database-user-you-previously-set'@'localhost';

Then reload the database changes using the following command:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Finally, close the MySQL setup using the below-given command:

EXIT

At this phase, we have successfully set up a MySQL database for Ghost on Ubuntu.

Step 5: Installing Node.js and NPM on Ubuntu

The easiest and official way to install Ghost on Ubuntu is through the Node Package Manager (NPM). However, for that, you must install Node.js and NPM as prerequisites from the Ubuntu repository for installing Ghost CLI on the system:

sudo apt install nodejs npm -y

Step 6: Installing Ghost CLI on Ubuntu

Once you have completed the Node.js and NPM installation, you can install Ghost CLI on Ubuntu from the following command:

sudo npm install -g ghost-cli@latest

Then confirm the Ghost CLI installation on Ubuntu using the below-given version command:

ghost --version

Note: The Ghost CLI will help users interact with the Ghost through the command line and perform installation, configuration, and management tasks.

Step 7: Configuring Ghost Directories and Files

To smoothly perform the Ghost installation on Ubuntu and put all the required files in one place, create a separate directory in the location /var/www/. You can name this directory as a ghost and can be created using the mkdir command provided below:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/ghost

Once you created the directory, you can change its ownership to a user of your choice from the following command:

sudo chown enter-your-user:enter-your-user /var/www/ghost

Then change the read, write, and execute permission to the Ghost directory for the owner and group using the below-given command:

sudo chmod 775 /var/www/ghost

Step 8: Installing Ghost CMS on Ubuntu

After you have done all the handwork, let’s install one final important tool on Ubuntu called Ghost CMS, a powerful content management system. Ghost CMS will help you create and publish content and provide you with an easy-to-use web interface.

To install Ghost CMS, first move toward the Ghost directory in the /var/www/ location using the following command:

cd /var/www/ghost/

After that, install Ghost CMS on Ubuntu through the below-given command:

ghost install

The process will initially check whether the required prerequisites are installed on the system. It then downloads and installs Ghost’s latest version and finalizes the installation, which might take a few minutes:

Before finalizing the installation, you must enter some information according to your choice. This information includes:

Blog URL
MySQL hostname
MySQL username
MySQL password
Ghost database name

You have to provide this information according to the settings you have previously done in the database step. For blog URL and hostname, you can choose the default option by simply pressing the Enter button on those options:

Note: Don’t use the IP address in the blog URL because it will not work here, instead you can use a domain name, such as https://example.com.

Another thing you have to do is to reply with Yes to set up Systemd and start Ghost on the system:

Once the process starts Ghost on your system, you will be provided with a URL for accessing the Ghost web interface:

Copy the URL, open your web browser on the Ubuntu server, and enter it in the address bar to open the Ghost admin page:

Enter your site title, full name, email, and a strong password for Ghost admin, then click on the Create account & start publishing button:

If everything is done according to the above-mentioned steps, you will be able to open the Ghost admin web interface on the browser:

At this point, you are now ready to create your website using different customization options, add posts, view sites, and perform other website-related tasks.

Conclusion

Ghost is a robust and streamlined platform for authors, bloggers, publishers, and businesses. It allows every individual to create their content without any coding experience. To install Ghost on Ubuntu 24.04, first install NGINX from the Ubuntu repository, then install the MySQL server, secure it, and create a database for Ghost on Ubuntu. After this, install Node.js and NPM so that you will be able to install Ghost CLI on the system from the NPM command.

You must also ensure creating a separate Ghost directory, and set appropriate permission for the directory to allow the user to read, write, and execute it. Then install Ghost CMS using the ghost install command and add the required information to get the URL address to access Ghost Admin on the browser. At that point, you can begin using Ghost on the browser and start creating your content and publishing it online.