Skip to content
Dave Swift Courses
Menu
Log inSign up

Self Host Ghost — Own Your Content Business

Purchase Self-Hosting Ghost

$79.00one-time · lifetime

Buy this course

Buying multiple seats for a company or school?

  • Two hours of video tutorials
  • Copy-and-paste scripts and code snippets
  • Beginner skill level
  • English captions
  • Lifetime access
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

30-day money-back guarantee. Tell us how we can improve if you ask for a refund.

What you'll learn

  • ✓Install Ghost on a VPS (Vultr) and skip SaaS rent
  • ✓Automate cloud backups without a paid backup product
  • ✓Use Ghost CLI to update, repair, and troubleshoot
  • ✓Run more than one Ghost site on a single server
  • ✓Install Ghost in a subfolder via Cloudflare next to Shopify or WordPress

Description

Tired of SaaS platforms nickel-and-diming you? This is a step-by-step playbook from zero: deploy a VPS, lock down the server, and install the stack that powers Ghost.

It’s laid out in copy-paste form. You’ll also get advanced pieces: cheaper storage, multiple sites on one server, and migrating from WordPress without losing content.

This course includes

  • 20+ lessons across five areas of site management
  • Do-it-yourself exercises based on real needs
  • Come back anytime you need a refresher

Course content

  1. Installation

    • Deploying a VPS on Vultr
    • Securing the Server
    • Non-Root User & SSH Keys
    • Installing MySQL & Nginx
    • Installing Node.js & Ghost

  2. Setup

    • Transactional Email Sending
    • Bulk Email Sending
    • Using a CDN
    • You Don’t Need Image Optimization
    • Ghost Email Setup Primer

  3. Migration

    • Exporting/Backing Up Your Ghost Site
    • Migrating From WordPress
    • Importing/Restoring Your Content to a Self Hosted Site

  4. Maintenance & Backups

    • Ghost CLI Basics
    • Updating Ghost
    • Backup Strategies
    • Automating Cloud Backups with Rclone & Wraith
    • Restoring VPS Backups & VPS Console

  5. Advanced

    • Connecting Block Storage
    • Installing Pintura Image Editor
    • Installing Ghost in a Subfolder (via Cloudflare)
    • Adding More Ghost Sites
    • Changing Your Domain Name

Requirements

  • Basic web familiarity helps; command line comfort helps, and this is a good place to start
  • A browser, a terminal, a text editor, and a stable internet connection
  • Your own server is optional but better for hands-on practice

Who this course is for

  • People new to server management
  • Developers who want stronger back-end chops
  • Owners who want to host without a third-party CMS tax
  • Anyone migrating off a managed Ghost or WordPress setup

FAQ

How long is the course?
20+ lessons, a little over two hours.
Is it self-paced?
Yes.
Do I need my own server?
Not required, but you’ll learn more if you have one.
Is there a guarantee?
30-day money-back. Tell us how to improve if you refund.

Instructor

Dave Swift

Dave Swift makes business-software tutorials and has produced video for Brainstorm Force, Elementor, Cloudways, and LearnDash. He also runs Client Amp. Berklee College of Music, Cum Laude.

Sample lessons

Securing the server
Ghost email types
Wraith setup
Changing domain names

What else you get

Command line without the mystique

This is a good place to learn the fundamentals of the command line so you can run more of your own stack.

Hit the inbox

Configure Ghost email through Mailgun so newsletters actually arrive.

Automated cloud backup

Skip expensive backup products. Back up to Google Drive, Dropbox, or 50+ other providers.

Subdomain or subfolder

Run Ghost next to Shopify or WordPress when you need that, including Cloudflare for the subfolder trick.