The WordPress Content Management System (CMS) began as a simple blogging platform, despite being one of the most popular CMS in the world. It has since become the platform of choice for some of the largest and most complex websites available today. However, it continues to be a blogging powerhouse. As a publishing platform, Ghost attempts to be what WordPress could have been if it had taken a different path. Our aim is to show you which platform can handle your content the way you need it by comparing WordPress vs Ghost technical features.
Ghost CMS vs. WordPress: A Technical Comparison
The platforms are both free and open source, so you can customize and monetize them as you see fit. Because of this, they are popular solutions among bloggers (as well as companies looking to provide user-friendly blogging experiences to their internal content publishers).
Despite having all the features a blogger could ask for, WordPress and Ghost aren't the same. The following is a breakdown of their technical differences.
WordPress Tech Stack
The admin area of WordPress allows you to manage the content of the site. Visitors can also view the site through a default frontend.
This website uses PHP as its programming language. No other frameworks, such as Laravel or Symfony, are used by WordPress.
A common complaint against WordPress is that it does not follow the modern MVC architecture.
There was no API for WordPress earlier. With WordPress version 4.7, we now have access to the REST API, which can be used to submit or retrieve data from the database. WordPress became less monolithic with the REST API. You can use any modern framework to build the front end while using WordPress as a headless system.
WordPress uses MySQL as its database, although these days MariaDB, an improved version of MySQL, is more common.
Aside from JavaScript and CSS, WordPress uses HTML and CSS as well. WordPress version 5 introduced a new post editor based on React. If you want to create custom blocks for the editor, you must also know React.
The official way to create and register blocks in WordPress is through the NPM package create-block, which is available in the WordPress repository. In the editor, a block is simply a type of element. Examples include paragraphs, images, galleries, etc.
Ghost Tech Stack
The Ghost application runs on the Javascript-based Node.js platform.
There is a common misconception that Node.js is a programming language. However, it isn't true.
In Node.js, Javascript can be used on the server side through a runtime environment. But that's not all. A Javascript-based web application can also be created using Ghost using the Express.js framework. Ghost comes with an API, a backend, and a frontend out of the box thanks to this technological stack.
Ghost calls itself a headless CMS even though it comes with a default frontend. It is primarily focused on providing APIs that can feed any frontend framework. Any custom one can be built using Gatsby, Next.js, or any other programming language.
The Ghost database is configured to use MySQL by default. SQLite can also be used if you prefer.
There is a built-in web server in Node.js. However, a reverse proxy such as Nginx is always recommended.
WordPress Working
WordPress would not be what it is without the silent guardians behind the screen. They simplify the process. The back-end codes are automatically updated so you can edit and create your website with ease.
On your web server, WordPress uses PHP and MySQL. Dynamic features allow information to be added to and extracted from databases. These data and information are also supported by HTML Pages.
WordPress introduces the Gutenberg Editor after you download, install, and start working (which is in the next point). WordPress 5.0 introduced an updated content editor for web pages.
Ghost Working
There is no doubt that Ghost is a versatile and flexible blogging tool that enhances the performance of blogs. Node.js is a server-side tool for executing JavaScript that is used in this headless CMS. On the server, JavaScript code is executed using this open-source development platform. Therefore, it is important to download node.js for Ghost.
WordPress: Advantages
- Easy to use
- Cheaper to build
- Large developer community creating themes and plugins
- Open Source
- SEO Tools
- E-Commerce reliability
WordPress: Disadvantages
- Easy for hackers to find vulnerabilities
- Needs to be updated regularly
- PHP language is a must for modifications
- CSS, HTML and Bootstrap are must for graphical modifications
- Comparatively slower than other CMS
Ghost: Advantages
- Fast
- SEO Optimized
- Lightweight and Minimal
- Based on modern technologies
- Easy to customize and create themes
- Perfect for blogging ONLY
- Membership management
- Hundreds of Integrations available
- User Role Management
- Good documentation
Ghost: Disadvantages
- No native Comment Functionality (Really a problem)
- Self-hosting requires technical knowledge
- Limited themes available
- Very Costly Hosting
WordPress: Sharing
You can automate your social sharing with WordPress by installing Jetpack or a similar plugin. It depends on the theme you're using and the plugins you've installed whether you'll have social sharing buttons.
Ghost: Sharing
In contrast, Ghost's blog posts include built-in social sharing buttons.
WordPress: Extendibility
There are thousands of WordPress plugins available online for users to enhance their websites, while Ghost Apps are still under development. Slack and Google AMP are the only two integrations available for Ghost at the moment.
Ghost: Extendibility
Themes from Ghost are available both directly through its official website and through third-party marketplaces, but they are just a drop in the vast WordPress theme ocean. Although Ghost does include SEO features in its core, it also has more native publishing features (for example, forms, buttons, and code snippets), making it less reliant on third-party plugins.
Ghost vs. WordPress: Which is better for Blogging?
It is a very personal endeavor to build a blog and earn a steady, reliable income from it. A choice between open platforms such as Ghost and WordPress is fascinating because there are numerous decisions to make along the way.
WordPress is generally considered to be the only option. There are almost no limitations to what you can create with this platform. With WordPress, you can move beyond just a blog-based business model.
Ghost is a better choice for blogging purists and those who are only interested in creating high-quality blogs. The software has a single purpose and is straightforward to use. This platform will be very useful if your short- and long-term goals are aligned.It's here that WordPress and Ghost differ the most. Despite the fact that both are good at what they do, WordPress happens to do it better. The list goes on and on.
