Deploy Ghost CMS to Hetzner Cloud with One Stacker Command

What You'll Build

A production-ready Ghost blog running on Hetzner Cloud - configured and deployed with two commands. Ghost 5 with MySQL 8, persistent storage, and a cloud firewall.

Ghost 5 (alpine) with MySQL 8
Hetzner Cloud server provisioned automatically
Docker and status panel agent installed
Persistent volumes for database and content

Quick Answer

# Install Ghost to Hetzner Cloud
stacker install ghost \
  --domain blog.example.com \
  --key htz-0 \
  --provider hetzner \
  --region fsn1 \
  --size cx23

# Deploy
stacker deploy --target cloud --key htz-0 --force-new

Ghost is live at http://<SERVER_IP>:2368.

Prerequisites

Stacker CLI installed (curl -fsSL https://stacker.try.direct/install.sh | bash)
Authenticated: stacker login
Hetzner cloud credential saved (verify with stacker list clouds)

Step 1: Install Ghost

The stacker install command writes a stacker.yml with Ghost and MySQL pre-configured. All flags are optional except the cloud credential.

stacker install ghost \
  --domain blog.example.com \
  --key htz-0 \
  --provider hetzner \
  --region fsn1 \
  --size cx23

Install Flags Reference

--domain - Sets the blog URL (optional, can set later)
--key - Saved credential from stacker list clouds (required for cloud)
--provider - hetzner, digitalocean, aws, linode, vultr
--region - fsn1, nbg1, hel1 for Hetzner
--size - cx23 (2 vCPU, 4 GB), cx33 (2 vCPU, 8 GB)
--set key=value - Override any install input (repeatable)
--name - Project name override
--file - Custom output path for stacker.yml

Step 2: Deploy to Cloud

stacker deploy --target cloud --key htz-0 --force-new

Stacker provisions the server, installs Docker, transfers the compose file, and starts the containers. The output includes the server IP:

Server details: ghost-ae91 (root@203.0.113.42:22)

Deploy to an Existing Server

stacker deploy --target server

Requires deploy.server.host in stacker.yml.

Redeploy with Changes

stacker deploy --target cloud --key htz-0 --force-rebuild

Step 3: Open the Firewall

By default, only SSH (22) is open on cloud deploys. Ghost runs on port 2368 - you need to open it explicitly.

stacker cloud firewall add --public-ports 2368/tcp

This is the most common reason for "app unreachable after deploy" - forgetting to open the port.

Step 4: Verify

stacker status

Shows running containers, ports, and health. Then open http://<SERVER_IP>:2368 in your browser to complete Ghost setup.

Status and Logs

stacker list deployments
stacker deployment events --deployment <HASH>
stacker agent logs ghost

Other Templates

Stacker has templates for many apps beyond Ghost:

# List all available templates
stacker templates --json

# Search for a specific app
stacker find wordpress --json

# Install any template
stacker install <slug> --domain <domain> --key <credential> --provider <provider> --region <region> --size <size>

Clean Up

stacker destroy

This destroys the cloud server and all associated resources.

Troubleshooting

"Cloud API credentials are required"

The --key flag must match a saved credential name from stacker list clouds. Typos cause this error.

Ghost unreachable after deploy

Port 2368 is closed by default. Run stacker cloud firewall add --public-ports 2368/tcp to open it.

Domain not working

--domain sets the install input but doesn't configure DNS or a reverse proxy. Point your domain's A record to the server IP and set up SSL separately.

Marketplace marker blocking hooks

If stacker.yml contains # @stacker-origin: marketplace, custom hooks are blocked. Remove that line before deploying if you have custom scripts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to run Ghost on Hetzner?

A cx23 server (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) costs approximately €5.49/month. More than enough for a Ghost blog.

Can I use a different cloud provider?

Yes. Stacker supports Hetzner, DigitalOcean, AWS, Linode, and Vultr. Change --provider and --region accordingly.

Do I need to install Docker on the server?

No. stacker deploy --target cloud installs Docker and all dependencies automatically.

Can I deploy Ghost to my own server instead?

Yes. Use stacker deploy --target server with deploy.server.host set in stacker.yml.

Key Takeaways

stacker install ghost generates a complete stacker.yml with Ghost and MySQL
Cloud deployment provisions the server, installs Docker, and starts containers
Always open the firewall port after cloud deploy (stacker cloud firewall add)
The same workflow works for any Stacker template - WordPress, Plausible, Nextcloud, etc.
Source: github.com/trydirect/stacker