Ghost CLI

Overview

Ghost-CLI is the official command-line tool for installing and managing Ghost CMS. It handles production setup including MySQL, NGINX, SSL certificates (Let's Encrypt), and systemd process management. It also supports local development installations with SQLite.

When to Use

• Installing Ghost on a server or locally for development
• Configuring Ghost (URL, database, mail, ports)
• Starting, stopping, or restarting Ghost instances
• Updating Ghost to new versions
• Setting up NGINX, SSL, and systemd
• Creating backups
• Diagnosing installation issues
• Managing multiple Ghost instances on one server

Installation

sudo npm install -g ghost-cli@latest

Use @latest to install or update in one command.

Global Flags

Flag	Description
--help, -h	Display usage information
--verbose, -V	Enable debug logging
--version, -v	Print CLI and Ghost versions
--dir [path]	Execute in alternate directory
--no-prompt	Skip interactive prompts
--no-color	Disable colored output

Commands

ghost install

Full production installation including MySQL, NGINX, SSL, and systemd:

ghost install                    # Latest version
ghost install [version]          # Specific version (e.g., 5.82.0)
ghost install local              # Local dev mode (SQLite, no NGINX)
ghost install --local            # Same as above

Options:

Flag	Description
--development, -D	Development environment
--dir [path]	Custom install directory
--archive path/to/file.tgz	Install from local archive
--no-stack	Skip environment validation
--no-setup	Skip setup stage
--no-start	Skip automatic startup
--no-enable	Don't auto-restart on reboot
--no-prompt	Non-interactive mode

Directory structure created:

/var/www/ghost/
├── .config.production.json    # Instance configuration
├── .ghost-cli                 # CLI metadata
├── content/                   # Themes, images, data
├── current/                   # Symlink to active version
├── system/                    # NGINX, systemd, SSL files
└── versions/                  # Ghost versions (for rollback)

ghost setup

Configure server components after installation:

ghost setup                    # Run all setup stages
ghost setup mysql              # Create database user
ghost setup nginx              # Generate NGINX config
ghost setup ssl                # Let's Encrypt SSL
ghost setup nginx ssl          # NGINX + SSL combined
ghost setup linux-user         # Create ghost system user
ghost setup systemd            # Create systemd service
ghost setup migrate            # Initialize database

Options:

Flag	Description
--no-setup-mysql	Skip database configuration
--no-setup-nginx	Skip web server setup
--no-setup-ssl	Skip SSL certificate
--no-setup-systemd	Skip process manager
--no-setup-linux-user	Skip user creation
--no-setup-migrate	Skip database migration
--pname my-process	Custom process name

ghost config

Manage site configuration:

ghost config                          # Create/view config
ghost config [key]                    # Get value
ghost config [key] [value]            # Set value
ghost config url https://mysite.com   # Set site URL

Application options:

ghost config --url https://mysite.com
ghost config --admin-url https://admin.mysite.com
ghost config --port 2368
ghost config --ip 127.0.0.1
ghost config --log '["file","stdout"]'

Database options:

ghost config --db mysql
ghost config --dbhost localhost
ghost config --dbuser ghost
ghost config --dbpass secret
ghost config --dbname ghost_prod

# SQLite (development)
ghost config --db sqlite3
ghost config --dbpath content/data/ghost_dev.db

Mail options:

ghost config --mail SMTP
ghost config --mailservice Mailgun
ghost config --mailuser postmaster@mg.example.com
ghost config --mailpass password
ghost config --mailhost smtp.eu.mailgun.org
ghost config --mailport 465

ghost start

ghost start                    # Start Ghost
ghost start -D                 # Start in development mode
ghost start --enable           # Enable auto-restart on reboot
ghost start --no-check-mem     # Skip memory check

ghost stop

ghost stop                     # Stop current instance
ghost stop [name]              # Stop named instance
ghost stop --all               # Stop all instances
ghost stop --disable           # Prevent auto-restart

ghost restart

ghost restart                  # Restart current instance
ghost restart --dir /path/     # Restart specific instance

ghost update

ghost update                   # Update to latest
ghost update [version]         # Update to specific version
ghost update --rollback        # Revert failed update
ghost update --force           # Force re-download
ghost update --no-restart      # Skip restart after update
ghost update --no-auto-rollback # Disable automatic rollback
ghost update --zip path.zip    # Update from local archive
ghost update --no-check-mem    # Skip memory check

ghost backup

Create a full backup including:

• Content in JSON format
• Member CSV export
• All installed themes
• Images, files, media (video/audio)
• routes.yaml and redirects.yaml

ghost backup

ghost doctor

Diagnostic checks for system compatibility:

ghost doctor                   # Full diagnostics
ghost doctor startup           # Configuration validation
ghost doctor setup             # Installation verification
ghost doctor --no-check-mem    # Skip memory checks

ghost ls

List all Ghost instances with status:

ghost ls

ghost log

View Ghost logs:

ghost log                      # Last 20 access log lines
ghost log -n 100               # Show 100 lines
ghost log -e                   # Error logs only
ghost log -f                   # Follow logs (tail -f)
ghost log -fe                  # Follow error logs
ghost log [name]               # Named instance logs

Log files are stored in content/logs/:

• Access: https__mysite_com__production.log
• Errors: https__mysite_com__production.error.log

ghost uninstall

Destructive — permanently removes Ghost:

ghost uninstall                # With confirmation prompt
ghost uninstall --no-prompt    # Skip confirmation
ghost uninstall --force        # Force removal

Removes: Ghost process, systemd config, NGINX config, content, and files.

SSL Configuration

Ghost integrates with Let's Encrypt via acme.sh for free SSL:

ghost setup ssl                # Interactive SSL setup

• Certificates auto-renew every 60 days
• Ghost supports only one canonical domain (for SEO)
• Redirect additional domains via NGINX

Adding HTTPS Redirect for Additional Domain

ghost config url https://my-second-domain.com
ghost setup nginx ssl
ghost config url https://my-canonical-domain.com
# Edit NGINX config to add: return 301 https://my-canonical-domain.com$request_uri;
sudo nginx -t && sudo nginx -s reload

Manual acme.sh

/etc/letsencrypt/acme.sh --home "/etc/letsencrypt"

File Permissions

Ghost-CLI enforces these defaults:

• Non-root: directories 775, files 664
• Root: directories 755, files 644

Reset if needed:

sudo find /var/www/ghost/* -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/ghost/* -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;

Production Requirements

• Node.js: v22+ (Ghost 6.0)
• Database: MySQL 8 (production), SQLite3 (development only)
• Web Server: NGINX (configured automatically)
• Process Manager: systemd (configured automatically)
• OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or similar Linux (recommended)
• Memory: Minimum 1GB RAM

Common Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Port already in use	ghost config --port 2369 or stop conflicting process
Permission errors	Run ghost doctor and fix ownership
NGINX config issues	sudo nginx -t to validate, check /etc/nginx/
SSL renewal failure	Run ghost setup ssl again
Memory errors	Use --no-check-mem flag or upgrade server
Database connection	Verify MySQL credentials with ghost config