Ghost is a free, open, simple blogging platform that's available to anyone who wants to use it. Lovingly created and maintained by [John O'Nolan](http://twitter.com/JohnONolan) + [Hannah Wolfe](http://twitter.com/ErisDS) + an amazing group of [contributors](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/contributors).
Want to report a bug, request a feature, or help us build or translate Ghost? Check out our in depth guide to [Contributing to Ghost](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md). We need all the help we can get! You can also join in with our [community](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost#community) to keep up-to-date and meet other Ghosters.
There are **two** main ways to get started with Ghost, take care to use the method which best suits your needs.
**Please note** - the downloadable zip files we provide on [Ghost.org](http://ghost.org/download) are pre-built packages designed for getting started quickly. Cloning from the git repository requires you to install several dependencies and build the assets yourself.
### Getting Started Guide for Bloggers
If you just want to get a Ghost blog running in the fastest time possible, this method is for you.
For detailed instructions for various platforms visit the [Ghost Installation Guide](http://docs.ghost.org/installation/). If you get stuck, help is available on [our forum](http://ghost.org/forum/).
1. Download the latest Ghost package from [Ghost.org](http://ghost.org/download).
**If you cloned the GitHub repository you should follow the instructions [for developers](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost#getting-started-guide-for-developers).**
1. Create a new directory where you would like to run the code, and unzip the package to that location.
1. Fire up a terminal (or node command prompt in Windows) and change directory to the root of the Ghost application (where config.example.js and index.js are)
1. run `npm install --production` to install the node dependencies. If you see `error Error: ENOENT` on this step, make sure you are in the project directory and try again.
1. To start ghost, run `npm start`
1. Visit `http://localhost:2368/` in your web browser or go to `http://localhost:2368/ghost` to log in
Check out the [Documentation](http://docs.ghost.org/) for more detailed instructions, or get in touch via the [forum](http://ghost.org/forum) if you get stuck.
If you clone the GitHub repository, you will need to build a number of assets using grunt.
Please do **NOT** use the master branch of Ghost in production. If you are using git to deploy to production, please use the latest [release](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases) or the [stable](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/tree/stable) branch which contains the latest release.
1.`grunt init` (and `grunt prod` if you want to run Ghost in production mode)
1.`npm start`
Full instructions & troubleshooting tips can be found in the [Contributing Guide](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) under the heading "[Working on Ghost Core](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#working-on-ghost-core)".
Check out the [Documentation](http://docs.ghost.org/) for more detailed instructions, or get in touch via the [forum](http://ghost.org/forum) if you get stuck.
If you want to use [Ghost as a NPM module there is a Wiki entry](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/wiki/Using-Ghost-as-a-NPM-module) where you can find instructions on how to get set up.
Once you have the Ghost server up and running, you should be able to navigate to `http://localhost:2368/ghost/` from a web browser, where you will be prompted to register a new user. Once you have entered your desired credentials you will be automatically logged in to the admin area.
Keep track of Ghost development and Ghost community activity.
* Follow Ghost on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/TryGhost), [Facebook](http://facebook.com/tryghostapp) and [Google+](https://plus.google.com/114465948129362706086).
* Read and subscribe to the [The Official Ghost Blog](http://blog.ghost.org).
* Join in discussions on the [Ghost Forum](http://ghost.org/forum/)
* Chat with Ghost developers on IRC. We're on `irc.freenode.net`, in the `#Ghost` channel. We have a public meeting every Tuesday at 5:30pm London time.
For transparency and insight into our release cycle, and for striving to maintain backward compatibility, Ghost will be maintained according to the [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/) guidelines as much as possible.
