Ghost is a powerful open-source publishing platform for professional publishers to create blogs, newsletters, and membership sites to grow their content business.

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🚀 Overview

Ghost is a modern, open-source platform designed specifically for independent publishers, journalists, and creators who want to build and monetize their audience without relying on big tech platforms. It provides everything needed to publish high-quality content, send newsletters, manage memberships, and run a sustainable media business.

What problem does this project solve? It solves the challenges of creating professional publications with built-in newsletters, paid subscriptions, and analytics, offering a flexible alternative to WordPress or Substack that's fully customizable and independent.

Who is it built for? Professional publishers, independent creators, and businesses using content for marketing and lead generation.

Why did you build it? Founded in 2013, Ghost was created to empower the future of online media by providing open-source tools that give creators freedom, control, and sustainable revenue, run by a non-profit foundation focused on journalism and publishing.

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✨ Key Features

• Professional Editor & Rich Media: Calm, distraction-free editor with dynamic cards for images, videos, audio, products, and more, enabling immersive storytelling.
• Built-in Newsletters & Memberships: Native email delivery, audience segmentation, signup forms, paid subscriptions, and promotions with 0% platform fees.
• Custom Website Design: Full control over themes, branding, SEO tools, and integrations without plugins.
• Native Analytics & Growth Tools: Detailed engagement metrics, member insights, referral programs, and social web features.
• Upcoming: Continued improvements in social web (Beta), ActivityPub support, and advanced team features.

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🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: Handlebars.js (themes), modern Lexical-based editor
• Backend: Node.js
• Database: MySQL (production), SQLite (development)
• Auth: Built-in roles & permissions, 2FA, SSO (Pro)
• Hosting: Self-hosted (DigitalOcean, etc.), Ghost(Pro) managed service

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👥 Who Is This For?

This project is useful for:

• Publishers who want to build independent media businesses with newsletters and subscriptions
• Creators looking to own their audience, brand, and revenue through memberships
• Businesses seeking measurable content marketing with lead generation and analytics

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📸 Screenshots / Demo

• Live demo: https://demo.ghost.org
• GitHub: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost

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🔥 Project Status

• 🟢 Actively building

Last updated: 2026-03-24

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❓ FAQ

Is this project free?

Freemium — Open source core is free to self-host; Ghost(Pro) managed hosting starts at $15/mo (billed yearly) with no payment processing fees.

Is the source code available?

Yes — https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost

Can I contribute?

Yes — Fork the repository, submit pull requests, report issues on GitHub, contribute to docs, or help with translations and themes via the open source community.

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📬 Contact & Links

• Website: https://ghost.org
• GitHub: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/TryGhost
• Email: support@ghost.org

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