I’ve tried using the DigitalOcean one-click deployment six times, but it consistently fails. Each attempt breaks after the SSL setup, followed by a cascade of outdated errors. The CLI and Node.js versions are both outdated, and when I manually update them, the setup script refuses to launch at all.
Sometimes the “one-click” droplet just doesn’t work, and when it doesn’t, it’s hard for a new Ghost user to fix because you don’t know anything about how it’s set up.
If you want one-click because you want a quick way to play with Ghost before figuring out if/where you want to host, both Ghost Pro and Magic Pages offer a two week free trial. That’s hands-down the easiest, no-commitment way to try out Ghost.
If you want to self host and have the skills (or interest in learning) to manage a server, I recommend getting a basic Ubuntu VPS and doing the install yourself. You’ll know more about how it is set up, and be better able to troubleshoot it. How to install & setup Ghost on Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04
Tip: Droplets are actually more expensive than a long-term VPS commitment. You’re paying for the convenience of being able to turn them off and on randomly. (Discount code in the link below.)
If you want something “one-click” and really cheap (cheaper than a droplet!), Pikapods is much closer to one-click. It isn’t a full server, so you’ve got less administration headache. It also deploys faster than the “one click” droplet. I wouldn’t really call it managed hosting, but because it’s only a docker container, there’s less to go wrong.
Lots more thoughts here:
I usually prefer setting things up manually on my own Ubuntu system or in a Docker container, but this was my first time trying a one-click install, and I have to say, it was a letdown.