How LearnXops.com Works & How You Can Build One Too

Download a high-resolution copy of this diagram here for future reference.

Above is the architecture of how learnXops.com works! Below are the different components that you need to know before getting started 👇

🧑‍💼 Admin Interface

• 🔐 User Authentication – Secures access to admin tools.
• ✍️ Content Creation – Write new content with ease.
• 📝 Content Editing – Modify existing content anytime.
• ⚙️ Settings/Configuration – Customize the system behavior.
• 🎨 Theme Management – Change the website’s look and feel.

👥 Members & Subscriptions

• 🔑 Member Authentication – Validates user identity.
• 💳 Stripe Integration – Handles secure payments.
• 💰 Payment Processing – Charges and renewals made easy.
• 📧 Email Notifications – Send automatic member emails.

🔗 Webhooks & Services

• 🧾 Member Signup – Triggers automation on registration.
• ✅ Content Published – Notifies services when new content goes live.
• 🛎️ Webhook Listeners – Receives events from Ghost.
• ⚙️ Zapier/Make.com – Automate workflows with 3rd parties.

🏗️ Hosting Environment

• 🖥️ Platforms – Choose from Docker, Ghost(Pro), or cloud hosts.
• ☁️ Self-Hosted (Docker) – Full control via containers.
• ☁️ Ghost(Pro) Cloud – Managed hosting by Ghost.
• 🌍 DigitalOcean/Heroku – Popular cloud hosting providers.
• 🔧 Ghost-CLI – Easy command-line management.
• 🛠️ Managed Infrastructure – Leave hosting worries behind.

🧠 Ghost Server (Node.js)

• 🌐 HTTP Server – Accepts and serves web requests.
• 🧭 Routing Engine – Directs requests to proper APIs.
• 🛠️ Admin API Controller – Backend admin operations.
• 📚 Content API Controller – Serves content to the frontend.
• 🧬 Database ORM – Manages data mapping to database.
• 🗄️ Database – Stores posts, users, settings, etc.

🗃️ Database Entities

• 👤 Members/Subscriptions – User & billing info.
• 📄 Posts/Pages – The actual published content.
• 🏷️ Tags/Settings – Metadata and configurations.

🚚 Content Delivery

• 🔍 Content API – Exposes content to the outside world.
• 🔌 REST/GraphQL Endpoints – Access data programmatically.
• 🧊 Caching Layer – Speeds up content delivery.
• 🌍 CDN – Distributes content globally with low latency.

💻 Frontend Clients

• 📱 Mobile Apps – Native apps consuming content APIs.
• 🧰 Default Handlebars Theme – Ghost’s built-in frontend.
• 🧑‍🎨 Custom Frontend (React/Vue) – Build your own UI.
• 📦 Static Site Generators – Jamstack & performance-focused sites.

Let's get started hand's on way:

🧰 Getting Started with Ghost Locally

Here’s a step-by-step guide to run Ghost locally on your machine:

📦 Step 1: Install Prerequisites

# Install Node.js (Ghost recommends Node v16 or v18)
# Use nvm (Node Version Manager) for easier handling
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Install MySQL (required by Ghost)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install mysql-server -y

# Secure MySQL (optional but recommended)
sudo mysql_secure_installation

👻 Step 2: Install Ghost-CLI

sudo npm install -g ghost-cli@latest

🏗️ Step 3: Create a Ghost Project

# Create and move into your Ghost project directory
mkdir ghost-local && cd ghost-local

# Install Ghost locally in development mode
ghost install local

This will start a Ghost blog running locally at http://localhost:2368

🔄 Useful Ghost CLI Commands

# Start Ghost
ghost start

# Stop Ghost
ghost stop

# Restart Ghost
ghost restart

# Check status
ghost status

# Update Ghost
ghost update

🧪 Developer Mode

If you're developing themes or want full debugging output:

NODE_ENV=development ghost run

🔐 Optional: Create Admin User for Local Test

Use the Ghost local admin panel at http://localhost:2368/ghost to set up your site and first admin user.

☁️ Getting Started with Ghost on AWS Lightsail

Here’s how to launch Ghost on AWS Lightsail:

🚀 Step 1: Create a Lightsail Instance

1. Go to https://lightsail.aws.amazon.com
2. Click Create Instance
3. Choose Linux/Unix platform
4. Select Ghost under "Apps + OS"
5. Choose an instance plan (start with the $3.5 or $5/month option)
6. Name your instance and click Create Instance
7. Read the documentation here

🔗 Step 2: Connect via SSH

# From the Lightsail dashboard, use browser-based SSH or:
ssh -i path/to/your/private-key.pem ubuntu@<your-instance-public-ip>

🔍 Step 3: Get Your Ghost Admin URL

# After login, check setup log
cat /opt/bitnami/var/log/pre-start.log

You’ll see a URL like http://<your-instance-ip>/ghost to finish admin setup.

🔑 Step 4: Setup Ghost Admin

1. Visit http://<your-instance-ip>/ghost
2. Get Admin Username and Password: cat bitnami_credentials
3. Fill the details & login

🔒 Step 5: Enable HTTPS (Optional but Recommended)

# Use Bitnami HTTPS Configuration Tool
sudo /opt/bitnami/bncert-tool

Follow prompts to configure a domain, SSL (Let’s Encrypt), and redirection rules.

📁 Directory Info

• Ghost root: /opt/bitnami/ghost
• Config: /opt/bitnami/ghost/config.production.json

☸️ Getting Started with Ghost on Kubernetes

Here’s how to deploy Ghost on a Kubernetes cluster:

📦 Step 1: Create Ghost Deployment & Service

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: ghost
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: ghost
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: ghost
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: ghost
          image: ghost:5-alpine
          ports:
            - containerPort: 2368
          env:
            - name: url
              value: "http://<your-domain-or-lb>"
          volumeMounts:
            - name: ghost-content
              mountPath: /var/lib/ghost/content
      volumes:
        - name: ghost-content
          persistentVolumeClaim:
            claimName: ghost-pvc
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: ghost
spec:
  selector:
    app: ghost
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 2368
  type: LoadBalancer

💾 Step 2: Add Persistent Volume Claim

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: ghost-pvc
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 5Gi

🚀 Step 3: Apply All Manifests

kubectl apply -f ghost-deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f ghost-service.yaml
kubectl apply -f ghost-pvc.yaml

🌐 Step 4: Access Your Ghost Blog

Wait for the LoadBalancer external IP and visit:

http://<external-ip>/ghost

📚 Resources

• Official Docs: https://ghost.org/docs/
• Ghost CLI Guide: https://ghost.org/docs/ghost-cli/
• Troubleshooting: https://ghost.org/docs/faq/
• Ghost Lightsail Guide: https://ghost.org/docs/hosting/aws/
• Bitnami Docs: https://docs.bitnami.com/aws/apps/ghost/

🌐 How to Secure Ghost CMS using Cloudflare Zero Trust

🛡️ Step-by-Step Guide to Add Domain to Cloudflare

1. Sign up/Login to Cloudflare
   • Go to https://dash.cloudflare.com/ and sign up or log in.
2. Add Your Domain
   • Click "Add a Site", enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com), and click "Add Site".
   • Choose a plan (Free is sufficient for most users).
3. Update Your Domain Nameservers
   • Cloudflare will show you new nameservers (e.g., cleo.ns.cloudflare.com, ned.ns.cloudflare.com).
   • Log in to your domain registrar (like GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and replace the current nameservers with Cloudflare's.
   • Wait for propagation (can take a few minutes to a few hours).
4. Verify Domain Added
   • Once DNS is updated, Cloudflare dashboard will show your site as active.

🔐 Secure Ghost CMS using Cloudflare Zero Trust for FREE OF COST

✅ Prerequisites:

• Ghost CMS running and accessible (e.g., https://yourdomain.com)
• Cloudflare account with your domain added

📶 Step 1: Set Up Cloudflare Tunnel (Optional for External IPs)

• Install cloudflared on your Ghost server:

sudo apt install cloudflared  # Debian/Ubuntu

• Authenticate with Cloudflare:

cloudflared tunnel login

• Create and run a tunnel:

cloudflared tunnel create ghost-tunnel
cloudflared tunnel route dns ghost-tunnel ghost.yourdomain.com
cloudflared tunnel run ghost-tunnel

🔒 Step 2: Create Zero Trust Policy

1. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard > Zero Trust (zero trust tab).
2. Navigate to Access > Applications > Add an Application.
3. Select Self-hosted.
   • Application Name: Ghost Admin
   • Application URL: https://yourdomain.com/ghost
   • Session Duration: 8 hours (default)
4. Configure Access Policy:
   • Who should have access? Choose Email / Google Workspace / GitHub logins, etc.
   • Define rules like: Allow if email ends with @yourcompany.com
5. Save and Deploy.

Test the Setup

• Open a private/incognito window and go to https://yourdomain.com/ghost
• You should be redirected to the Cloudflare Access login screen.
• Only allowed users should be able to enter.

🚀 Bonus Tips

• Enable WAF (Web Application Firewall) rules in Cloudflare.
• Use Rate Limiting to prevent brute force attacks.
• Turn on Always Use HTTPS and Automatic HTTPS Rewrites from SSL/TLS settings.

🔐 Cloudflare Zero Trust provides an extra layer of security by allowing only authorized users to access your Ghost CMS — without needing to expose it openly on the internet.