👻 Ghost is a popular open-source platform for blogging, newsletters, and media projects, launched in 2013 as an alternative to WordPress. It focuses on content-centric publishing free from advertising , featuring a minimalist editor, subscription support, and paid content options. The platform is fully open-source for self-hosting, while its commercial version, Ghost(Pro), provides managed cloud hosting and monetization tools.
Think of Ghost as a CMS with the philosophy of Substack. You're not just building a website; you're creating an independent media outlet where you own everything—from the database to your audience.
🚀 What's New in Ghost 6.0
The developers are calling this the "biggest release in the platform's history," introducing major features like networked publishing and native analytics , alongside a modernized infrastructure and numerous enhancements for creators and developers.
🌐 Networked Publishing: Joining the Open Social Web
Ghost 6.0 integrates with decentralized social networks using the ActivityPub protocol. This means readers can now discover, like, comment on, and follow your posts directly from platforms like Mastodon, Threads, WordPress, Flipboard, and other compatible services.
📣 Essentially, every Ghost publication now acts as a 'social profile' visible across the entire federated web.
This marks a return to the spirit of the classic blogosphere , but with modern tools. It fosters direct interaction between creators and readers, free from algorithms, censorship, or hidden ranking.
📊 Native Analytics: No Third-Party Scripts Needed
Previously, creators had to rely on third-party solutions. Ghost now introduces its own native analytics platform that operates without cookies or external trackers , providing insights on:
- Page views and traffic sources
- Engagement metrics for different audience segments (visitors, free, and paid)
- Real-time performance of newsletters and posts
The backend is powered by ClickHouse through a partnership with Tinybird. For self-hosted users, a free integration with the Tinybird API is available, while on Ghost(Pro), analytics is enabled by default.
💸 A $100 Million Milestone for Independent Creators
Ghost co-founder John O'Nolan announced that creators on the platform have collectively earned over $100 million. What began as a sustainable alternative to ad-based media has grown into a thriving ecosystem of independent publishers. Ghost remains managed by a non-profit foundation , ensuring all revenue is reinvested into the open-source platform.
💬 "We're proving that independent media isn't just surviving—it's thriving."
⚙️ Additional User Experience Upgrades
- Custom Newsletters: Design custom layouts, preview emails, and even edit them after sending, with built-in anti-spam protection.
- Expanded Localization: The interface now supports 60 languages with automatic translation.
- Native Comments: Engage your community with built-in comments featuring moderation, sorting, and threaded replies.
- Ghost Explore: A new discovery platform to showcase the best independent publications on Ghost.
- Enhanced Payments: Accept payments in 135 currencies with support for Apple Pay, Google Pay, and one-time donations.
- New Themes: Fresh designs tailored for news (Source), personal blogs (Solo), and podcasts (Episode).
💻 Developer-Focused Changes
Ghost 6.0 officially transitions to Docker Compose for installation. This major update simplifies deploying a multi-service infrastructure (main server, analytics, social gateway) for self-hosted users.
Additional updates include:
- New Official Stack: Ubuntu 24, Node.js 22, and MySQL 8.
- VS Code Extension: A new extension provides syntax highlighting and live previews.
- Google AMP Deprecated: Support for Google AMP has been completely removed (RIP 🪦).
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Theme Compatibility: The
gscantool now checks themes for compatibility with version 6.0.
The Bigger Picture: A Decentralized Future
Ghost 6.0 is more than just an update; it's a significant step toward a decentralized and sustainable internet where creators, not platforms, own their content. It signals a return to the open blogosphere, rebuilt on a modern tech stack with federated networks, native analytics, and a flexible architecture.
After 10 years of development and $100 million earned by creators, it's clear: this model works.
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