Install Ghost in Proxmox LXC

Install Ghost in Proxmox LXC

Ghost is a simple and very modern blogging system that can also be installed in a Proxmox LXC. Avoiding any running costs with the online version.

This guide will not make use of external facing domain names for the time being. This is to be used internally via IP addresses. A future guide (with a note on this guide) on updating settings for that.

Prerequisites:

  • A Proxmox server up and running.
  • A basic understanding of how to use Proxmox.
  • Network access to your Proxmox server.

Step 1: Download the TurnKey Linux Ghost Template

  1. Log into your Proxmox Web Interface.
  2. On the left, click Datacenter > local (or your storage name) > CT Templates.
  3. In the CT Templates section, click the Templates button.
  4. In the template search box, search for ghost and click Download next to the turnkey-ghost template.

Step 2: Create a Container

  1. Create a new LXC container:
    • In Proxmox, click Create CT in the top right corner.
    • Enter a name for your container and set a password for root access.
    • Choose a hostname (for internal purposes, this can be anything you like).
    • Select the TurnKey Ghost template that you downloaded in Step 1.
  2. Configure Container Settings:
    • CPU & Memory: Adjust based on your server’s resources and expected usage. For basic installations, 1-2 CPU cores and 512MB to 1GB of RAM are typically sufficient.
    • Disk Space: Allocate disk space depending on the expected usage. 10GB or more is usually fine.
  3. Network Setup:
    • Assign a static IP address or use DHCP, depending on your network setup. This IP will be how you access Ghost.
  4. Finalize:
    • Review all the settings and click Finish to create the container.

Step 3: Start the Container

  1. After the container is created, it will show up under your Proxmox node.
  2. Select the container and click Start.
  3. Once the container is running, click Console to open a terminal session inside the container.

Step 4: Initial Configuration of Ghost

  1. When you access the container for the first time, you'll be prompted to run TurnKey’s first boot configuration.
  2. Follow these steps if asked:
    • Set Timezone: Choose the correct timezone for your setup.
    • Skip the Domain Name Setup: Since you're accessing Ghost internally via IP, skip the domain name setup. Just press Enter or Skip when prompted for a domain name. You can also type in a domain you intend to use in the future!
  3. Configure Ghost: The installer will automatically set up Ghost for you. You'll be asked a few basic setup questions:
    • Admin Email: Set the email for the Ghost admin account.
    • MySQL Root Password: Choose a password for the MySQL root user (important for future database access). It may just ask for a root password depending on the version of the turnkey. Either way enter the password you wish. Since this is a test and internal you could use the same password.
    • Ghost Database Password: Set the password for the Ghost database user.
  4. Completion: After configuration, Ghost will be installed and running inside the container.
  5. If it asks to reboot due to kernel updates then go ahead and do that now. Save you wondering about it later.

Step 5: Access Ghost via Internal IP

  1. Once the installation is complete, you can access Ghost by navigating to the container's internal IP address in your browser http://<your-container-ip-address>
  2. To access the admin interface, go to http://<your-container-ip-address>/ghost

If you do not know the IP Address you can always use ip a command and find out. Which will be the case if you setup via DHCP.

I hope the article helped you and please let me know if you want to see other guides. You can find a lot of help on ghost once you login on the admin panel.

Adding Domain Support

If you want to add public facing domain support via Cloudflare then the following guide will help you.

Ghost & Proxmox Domain via CloudFlare Tunnel
How to enable and setup domain name access for Ghost. This guide follows the previous Ghost Tutorial.