What's installed on your Ghost server?
- Ghost 6 from the official Docker image
- MySQL 8.4 database
- HTTPS through Caddy: the site opens on an sslip.io address based on your IP, so a domain is optional
- An owner account created before the site goes public, with no setup wizard
- Ghost's persistent content folder for images and themes
- Firewall with only ports 22, 80 and 443 open
What size do you need for Ghost?
Ghost's official install guide asks for at least 1 GB of memory. Here Ghost, MySQL and Caddy share one server, so the smallest size is 2 GB. As a rule of thumb, 2 GB suits a personal blog or small publication. Look at 4 GB as readers and members grow, and 8 GB for a busy publication. Images also take disk space, and while RAM and CPU can go up and down, disk only grows.
| Use | Size | Price | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| New publication | 2 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 40 GB NVMe | $4.01/mo | |
| Growing publication | 4 GB RAM · 2 vCore · 60 GB NVMe | $6.89/mo | |
| Busy publication | 8 GB RAM · 4 vCore · 120 GB NVMe | $13.62/mo |
Who is it for?
- Writers and editors running a blog with an email newsletter
- Small publishers building a membership site
- People who want a writing tool rather than a page builder and a stack of plugins
- Anyone who wants posts and subscriber lists on their own server
- Publications with readers in Turkey that should run on a server in Istanbul
What happens after you order?
- Set the size and complete your payment.
- Your server starts and Ghost installs itself. This took about 4 minutes in our real-server tests.
- In your panel, open your server from My servers. When the App row on the Overview tab says Ghost is ready, click Open app.
- Log in with the Email and Password rows. The owner account is ready, and no setup screen appears.
- Under Settings, set your site title and your own email address, then publish your first post.
- If you plan to use memberships or newsletters, connect your email service.
With every server
- Daily backups included in the price
- Unlimited traffic
- Full root access
- Scale RAM and CPU up or down later, and grow the disk
- Location: Istanbul · IST-1.
Good to know
- Ghost installs without email. For staff invitations, password resets and member logins, add your SMTP details to compose.yaml on the server as environment variables.
- Sending newsletters in bulk takes a Mailgun account. Email service costs aren't part of the server price.
- Device verification by email is off. Once email works, remove the security__staffDeviceVerification line from compose.yaml.
- The update check is off, so you won't see new version notices. Updating is your responsibility: run docker compose pull and docker compose up -d in the folder.
- Ghost's web analytics needs a Tinybird account and an extra service, which this install doesn't include.
- If a certificate can't be issued, the site opens over http on your IP address.
Ghost questions and answers
How much RAM does Ghost need?
Ghost's official install guide asks for at least 1 GB of memory. On Seturack, Ghost, MySQL and Caddy share one server, so the smallest size is 2 GB. As readers and members grow, you scale up from your panel.
Is Ghost free?
The Ghost software is MIT licensed and has no license fee. Your email service and, if you sell memberships, Stripe charge their own fees.
How do I send a newsletter with Ghost?
Bulk email takes Mailgun, the only bulk mail service Ghost supports; you enter its details in the newsletter settings in the admin area. Member logins and invitations need SMTP as well: add it to /opt/seturack/ghost/compose.yaml as environment variables starting with mail__, then run docker compose up -d.
Can I move from WordPress to Ghost?
Yes. Ghost's admin area has a WordPress migrator under Settings > Advanced > Import/Export. You export an XML file from WordPress and upload it. Ghost's documentation gives limits of 100 MB and 2,500 posts.
Can I sell paid memberships with Ghost?
Yes, through Stripe, the only payment provider Ghost supports natively, and the site must be on an https address first. Check that Stripe is available in your country before you plan around it.
Can I use my own domain with Ghost?
Yes. Point the A record at your server's IP address and add the new address to the HTTPS settings. Then change SITE_URL, SITE_HOST and SITE_ADI in /opt/seturack/ghost/.env and run docker compose up -d.