Agility CMS
Headless content management system supporting composable, API-first architectures
Ghost
Modern publishing platform for blogs, memberships, and newsletters
Ghost is a fast, headless CMS built on Node.js, offering built‑in membership, subscription, and newsletter tools for creators who need flexible publishing and SEO‑friendly performance.
Overview
Overview
Ghost is a modern publishing platform built on Node.js. It combines a fast headless CMS with native membership, subscription, and newsletter capabilities, letting creators monetize content without third‑party plugins.
Deployment options
For quick production you can launch a site on Ghost(Pro), a fully managed service that includes CDN, SSL, backups and 24/7 support. Developers who prefer full control install Ghost locally or on a server using the ghost-cli tool (ghost install local for a minute‑long setup, ghost install for a full production stack with automatic Let’s Encrypt SSL).
Extensibility and community
Ghost’s theming system uses Handlebars and a robust JSON API, enabling custom front‑ends in React, Vue, or any framework. Extensive documentation, a vibrant forum, and a contributor guide help both beginners and advanced developers extend the core or build custom integrations.
Highlights
Built‑in membership, subscription, and newsletter system
Fast Node.js core with SEO‑optimized output
Extensible theming with Handlebars and a JSON API
Managed hosting (Ghost(Pro)) with CDN, SSL, backups
Pros
- High performance publishing with minimal overhead
- Native monetization tools for creators
- Strong developer community and documentation
- Managed service removes operational complexity
Considerations
- Requires a Node.js runtime, not a PHP stack
- Limited out‑of‑the‑box e‑commerce features
- Custom theme development has a learning curve
- Managed hosting incurs recurring cost
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Fit guide
Great for
- Independent creators seeking paid memberships
- Developers wanting a headless CMS for custom front‑ends
- Small businesses needing a fast, SEO‑friendly blog
- Publications that want integrated newsletter capabilities
Not ideal when
- Teams requiring extensive built‑in e‑commerce
- Organizations locked into a PHP ecosystem
- Users who prefer drag‑and‑drop site builders
- Enterprises needing deep native integrations with legacy systems
How teams use it
Personal blog with paid subscriptions
Earn recurring revenue while publishing directly from Ghost
Online magazine sending newsletters
Create and distribute curated newsletters using Ghost’s native tools
SaaS product documentation site
Provide fast, searchable docs with markdown support and versioning
Headless CMS for a React front‑end
Deliver content via Ghost’s JSON API to a custom React UI
Tech snapshot
JavaScript63%
TypeScript26%
CSS5%
Handlebars4%
HTML1%
MDX1%
Frequently asked questions
What programming language is Ghost built with?
Ghost is written in JavaScript and runs on the Node.js runtime.
Can I self‑host Ghost?
Yes, you can install and run Ghost on your own server using the ghost‑cli tool.
Is there a free managed hosting option?
Ghost(Pro) is a paid managed service; self‑hosting is free and open source.
How does Ghost handle SEO?
Ghost generates clean HTML, supports meta tags, sitemaps, and fast page loads for better search visibility.
What license does Ghost use?
Ghost is released under the MIT license.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 51,643
- Watchers
- 51,643
- Forks
- 11,294
LicenseMIT
Repo age12 years old
Last commit23 hours ago
Primary languageJavaScript
Last synced 23 hours ago