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Self Host Ghost

Host Ghost on your own server

I will show you how to install Ghost, connect email, and keep your site backed up.

You follow along as I provision a server, run the Ghost CLI, and wire up Nginx, MySQL, and Node on a real VPS. Each lesson shows the commands and config files so you can repeat the same steps on your own machine.

Later modules cover email setup, WordPress migration, automated backups, and CLI updates — the work you revisit after the site is live.

What you'll learn

  • Provision and secure a Linux virtual server, then install Ghost with the official CLI
  • Configure transactional and bulk email, CDN basics, and Ghost’s mail settings
  • Back up, export, migrate from WordPress, and restore content on your own host
  • Maintain Ghost with CLI updates, backup strategies, rclone, Wraith, and console restores
  • Tackle optional advanced work: block storage, subfolder installs, multiple sites, and domain changes

This course includes

  • Terminal walkthroughs with copy-paste commands
  • Migration and backup lessons
  • Lifetime access

Sample lessons

Securing the server
Ghost email types
Wraith setup
Changing domain names

What the lessons cover

Installation and hardening

Deploy a VPS, create a non-root user with SSH keys, install MySQL, Nginx, Node.js, and Ghost — with the terminal commands shown on screen.

Email and CDN setup

Walk through transactional and bulk email, CDN basics, and Ghost mail configuration with DNS and provider settings explained on screen.

Migration, backup, and restore

Export and back up Ghost, migrate from WordPress, import content, automate cloud backups with rclone and Wraith, and restore from VPS backups.

Advanced server topics

Optional lessons on block storage, subfolder installs via Cloudflare, multiple Ghost sites on one server, domain changes, and add-ons like the Pintura image editor.

Course content

Show full lesson list

  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; you should be willing to use a terminal
  • A computer with a browser, a text editor, and a stable internet connection
  • Your own virtual server and domain for hands-on practice — hosting and domain fees are separate from this course

Who this course is for

  • Ghost owners who want a structured path to self-hosting
  • Creators comparing self-hosting to Ghost Pro who want to see the full setup process
  • People migrating from WordPress or another host who need a clear restore path
  • Beginners who are ready to learn server basics alongside Ghost

FAQ

How is the course structured?

Five modules walk from installation and hardening through email, migration, maintenance, and optional advanced server topics. Work in order or jump to the lesson that matches the job in front of you.

Do I need my own server?

You can watch everything without a server, but hands-on practice works best on a virtual server and domain you pay for separately. The course fee does not include hosting.

How is this different from Ghost Mastery?

Ghost Mastery builds a full site from the Ghost admin — design, posts, newsletters, and memberships. Self Host Ghost covers running Ghost on your own server: install, email, backups, migrations, and CLI maintenance.

Will you host my site or manage email for me?

No. I teach the setup steps on video; you run and pay for your own server and email providers.

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes. If Self Host Ghost is not useful for you, request a refund within 30 days of purchase and tell us how we can improve so the lessons get better for the next person.

Instructor

Dave Swift

I teach software and publishing tools on video, with step-by-step walkthroughs of sites I build and use myself.