What is Ghost?
Ghost is the software behind an independent publication. It brings the site, editor, newsletters, members, and paid subscriptions into one open-source platform.
I’ve designed Ghost themes for more than a decade. Over that time, I’ve watched Ghost grow far beyond blogging without losing the focus that made it useful in the first place.
The publishing flow is still easy to recognize. Write a post once, then publish it on the site, send it by email, or reserve it for selected members.
If you are still deciding what you want to publish, the guide to starting a publication covers the questions that come before choosing a platform.
Why keep those parts together? A reader can discover your work, join the publication, and receive the next post without moving between separate services.
The editor, site, email delivery, member accounts, and payments belong to the same publication. Those parts feel like one system instead of a collection of separate products. That’s rare, and easy to take for granted after so many years.
Ghost is open source, so its code and development are public. Your posts, member list, and theme can also be exported. I value being able to see how the software is built and knowing that the publication’s material is accessible outside the interface.
One post can do more than one job. Publish it on the site, send it by email, or choose both from the same menu.
Before publishing, you can preview the post as it will appear on the web and in an inbox. From the same menu, you can publish and email it, publish without sending, or send an email without adding another post to the site.
Access is set for each post. It can be public, available to all members, limited to paying members, or reserved for selected tiers. Readers may join for free, choose the newsletters they want, or support the publication through a paid subscription.
The software is open. The hosting is your choice. Use Ghost(Pro), an independent managed service, or your own server.
Ghost(Pro) ↗ is the official managed service from the team that builds Ghost. It handles hosting, updates, backups, security, and newsletter delivery.
Ghost can also be hosted by independent managed providers, including Synaps Media ↗ and Magic Pages ↗. These companies are separate from the Ghost Foundation. Their plans, support, and included services vary.
Running Ghost on your own server gives you direct control over its environment. It also puts maintenance, software updates, backups, security, and bulk email setup in your hands.
Ghost runs the publication. The theme gives it a public shape. It decides how the homepage, articles, archive, and membership paths meet the reader.
A Ghost theme controls the pages readers see, including the homepage, article layouts, navigation, topic pages, typography, and the routes into older work.
The editor, newsletters, members, and subscriptions remain in Ghost. Changing the theme changes the public layer around them, giving the same publishing system a different structure and character.
That is the part I work on when I design Ghost themes. Some of my themes keep the focus on personal writing. Others make room for newsletters, magazines, courses, or larger editorial archives. To compare those approaches, explore the different ways to choose a theme.