Recommended Hosting

Hosting

Ghost runs on Node.js, not the PHP shared hosting most blogs start out on. A small VPS gives you the full stack Ghost actually needs, at a price close to shared hosting.

View Plans and Pricing

Takes about 15 minutes to go from checkout to a live Ghost site.

Why Ghost Needs a VPS

Ghost is a Node.js application. Most budget hosting only runs PHP, which is why so many new Ghost blogs stall before they launch.

Built for Node.js

Root access means you can run the official Ghost CLI, Node.js and MySQL exactly the way the Ghost docs describe.

Fast by Default

NVMe storage and dedicated vCPU keep page loads quick, which is exactly what Core Web Vitals and your readers reward.

Full Control

Configure Nginx, add free SSL, schedule backups and install any theme you like, with nothing locked behind a plan upgrade.

Room to Grow

Start small and scale CPU, memory and storage as traffic grows, without migrating to a different host.

The Plan I Recommend

Hostinger's KVM 2 VPS is the sweet spot for a Ghost blog: enough headroom to run Ghost, MySQL and Nginx comfortably, without paying for capacity you will not touch for a long while.

  • Free SSL certificate and a dedicated IP address
  • Automatic weekly backups you can restore yourself
  • Full root access over SSH
  • Choice of data centre region
  • 24/7 support and a 30 day money-back guarantee
Check Current Pricing
KVM 2 VPS
  • 2 vCPU cores
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 100 GB NVMe storage
  • 8 TB Bandwidth

More than enough for a Ghost blog serving tens of thousands of monthly readers.

From Checkout to Live Blog

Four steps. No prior server experience required.

1

Pick your plan

Choose the KVM 2 VPS and the data centre closest to most of your readers.

2

Choose your image

Select the Ubuntu operating system, or pick the ready-made Ghost template to skip most of the setup.

3

Install Ghost

Connect over SSH and run the official Ghost CLI installer. It handles Node.js, MySQL and Nginx for you.

4

Point your domain

Update your DNS records, let the installer issue a free SSL certificate, and start publishing.

Common Questions

Almost never. Shared hosting is built for PHP applications like WordPress, while Ghost is a Node.js application that needs its own process running continuously. A VPS gives you that.

No. The official Ghost CLI installer asks a handful of plain questions and configures the server for you. If you can copy and paste a command, you can complete it.

Yes. Ghost exports your content, members and settings as a single file from the admin area, and you import it on the new server once Ghost is installed. Your images copy across separately.

The plan includes automatic weekly snapshots you can restore from the control panel. It is still worth scheduling your own Ghost content exports on top of that.

Yes. A self-hosted Ghost install lets you upload any theme from the admin area, including this one, with no restrictions on custom templates or code injection.

Ready to launch your Ghost blog?

Set up the server once and spend the rest of your time writing.

Get Started on Hostinger

Disclosure: the links on this page are referral links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend hosting I would use myself.