Ghost Hosting

Open your pod URL with /ghost added at the end to reach Ghost Admin, and complete the initial owner-account setup if prompted. Set your publication’s title and design, then write a first post. Configure transactional email early: Ghost sends verification codes when staff sign in from a new device. The admin login guide and PikaPods email guide explain these requirements.

No. PikaPods sets up and runs Ghost for you, including OS and app updates and HTTPS. You won't touch Docker or a server. Your data stays available over SFTP if you ever want to move it elsewhere.

Only if you want Ghost’s built-in newsletter delivery: it currently supports Mailgun’s bulk email API. A web-only publication can operate without a Mailgun account. Transactional email for sign-in verification, password resets and member account messages is configured separately and can use another SMTP provider. Provider charges are separate; follow the PikaPods setup instructions and Ghost’s explanation.

To accept paid memberships, connect your own Stripe account and configure subscription tiers. Stripe availability and processing fees apply; see connecting Stripe. Free memberships and public posts do not require payment processing.

PikaPods includes Tinybird analytics on a fair-use, best-effort basis using Tinybird infrastructure. On a new pod, analytics becomes available after the pod is next edited, restarted or updated; see PikaPods analytics details.

Set up incremental backups to S3 in your pod settings for automatic nightly snapshots, or copy your files over SFTP. We keep whole-server backups for server failures, but they aren't a per-pod restore service, so your own backup is what protects your data.

Ghost is an open source alternative to Squarespace. Its source code is public, so anyone can inspect or improve it, and you aren't tied to one vendor.

No. You add prepaid credit and your pods are billed by the hour from that balance, rounded up to full hours. There are no contracts or minimum terms: delete a pod anytime and billing stops. Optional automatic top-ups keep your pods running without manual payments.

You do. And you're in full control. If you ever want to download, migrate, edit or delete your data, just enable SFTP access to your pod and it will be right there.