Deploy and Host ghost_docker on Railway

Ghost is a powerful open-source headless CMS built for modern publishing. This template deploys a production-ready Ghost instance with MySQL database, perfect for blogs, newsletters, and membership sites - all configured for migrant entrepreneur news platforms like Peakberg.

About Hosting ghost_docker

This template provides a one-click deployment of Ghost CMS with MySQL on Railway. It includes pre-configured email support (Mailgun/API), automatic SSL certificates, and healthcheck monitoring. Ghost boots in production mode with optimized performance settings. The setup supports custom domains, newsletter functionality, and member subscriptions out of the box. Perfect for content creators, publishers, and founders who want to launch quickly without infrastructure headaches. All environment variables are templated for easy customization. NB: api not smtp as railway not support smtp

Common Use Cases

News and Media Platforms - Launch TechCrunch-style publications with breaking news, articles, and analysis
Newsletter Publications - Build Substack alternatives with native email newsletter features and paid subscriptions
Professional Blogs - Create SEO-optimized content sites with custom themes and integrated analytics
Membership Communities - Offer premium content with built-in member authentication and payment processing
Company Blogs - Professional corporate blogs with team collaboration and content workflow

Dependencies for ghost_docker Hosting

MySQL Database - Required for Ghost's content storage (posts, users, settings). Railway's MySQL service auto-connects via MYSQL_URL.
Email Service - Mailgun API-based services recommended for Railway.
Node.js Runtime - Ghost runs on Node.js 18+ (included in Ghost Docker image, no separate setup needed).

Deployment Dependencies

Ghost Official Documentation - Complete Ghost setup and configuration guide
Mailgun - Recommended email service with HTTP API support
Postmark - Excellent for transactional emails (magic links)
Ghost Themes - Free and premium themes for customization
Ghost Content API - Headless CMS integration documentation

Implementation Details

Core Configuration

NODE_ENV=production url=https://yourdomain.com

Database (Railway MySQL)

database__client=mysql2 database__connection__connectionString=${{MySQL.MYSQL_URL}}

Server

server__port=2368 server__host=0.0.0.0

Email - Mailgun API (Recommended)

mail__transport=Mailgun mail__options__auth__apiKey=your-mailgun-api-key mail__options__auth__domain=yourdomain.com mail__from=[email protected]

Why Deploy ghost_docker on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying ghost_docker on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.