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Ghost & WordPress: Recommended themes and essential tools for your website.

How to Install Ghost Locally on Windows and macOS

Ghost is a powerful, open-source headless CMS designed for professional publishing. Running Ghost locally allows you to develop and test your site in a safe environment before going live. This guide walks you through the process of installing Ghost on Windows and macOS.

Prerequisites

Before installing Ghost, ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js (version 18 or higher recommended)
  • npm (comes with Node.js)
  • Ghost CLI (Ghost Command Line Interface)
  • MySQL (optional, Ghost can run with SQLite for local installs)
  • A code editor (like VS Code) and terminal/command prompt

Step 1: Install Node.js

Ghost requires Node.js to run. Download and install the latest LTS version:

Verify installation:

node -v
npm -v

Step 2: Install Ghost CLI Globally

Ghost CLI helps with installing and managing Ghost installations.

Run this in your terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS):

npm install -g ghost-cli

Verify:

ghost --version

Step 3: Prepare a Folder for Ghost

Create a folder where you want to install Ghost locally.

Example:

  • Windows:
mkdir C:\ghost-local
cd C:\ghost-local
  • macOS:
mkdir ~/ghost-local
cd ~/ghost-local

Step 4: Install Ghost

Run the following command inside your chosen directory:

ghost install local

This command installs Ghost locally using SQLite, which is perfect for development and testing.

Ghost CLI will download and install all dependencies, including Ghost itself, and start the server.

Step 5: Access Your Local Ghost Site

Once installation completes, open your browser and visit:

http://localhost:2368

You should see the default Ghost blog homepage running locally.

To access the admin panel, visit:

http://localhost:2368/ghost

Create your admin account here and start publishing!

Additional Tips

  • Stop Ghost:
    To stop the local Ghost server, run: ghost stop
  • Restart Ghost: ghost restart
  • Upgrade Ghost:
    When a new Ghost version is released, update by running: ghost update

Troubleshooting

  • Windows Firewall:
    Ensure your firewall allows Node.js to accept connections on port 2368.
  • Permissions:
    Run your terminal as administrator (Windows) or with proper permissions on macOS if you encounter permission errors.
  • Node version issues:
    Ghost requires Node.js 18 or higher. Use node -v to check. If needed, install Node Version Manager (nvm) to manage Node versions easily.

Conclusion

Installing Ghost locally on Windows or macOS is straightforward using Node.js and the Ghost CLI. Running Ghost locally is ideal for theme development, customization, and content creation before pushing your site live.

For production deployments, consider using Ghost(Pro) or hosting with your preferred platform.

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