Ghost Release: 1.0.0

TL;DR

Ghost 1.0.0 marks a major milestone with a completely redesigned admin interface featuring a new editor, default theme, and nightshift mode. This release introduces significant architectural improvements including better configuration management, enhanced logging, and a more robust importer. The publishing workflow has been streamlined with better scheduling options and content filtering. Internal tags are now a standard feature, and the Public API is enabled by default. Theme developers should note several API changes. This release represents the culmination of years of work to create a more stable, performant, and user-friendly publishing platform.

Highlight of the Release

• Complete redesign of the admin interface with a new editor, default theme, and nightshift mode
• Improved publishing workflow with scheduling front and center
• Simplified content screen with better filtering capabilities
• Completely overhauled importer with better error reporting
• Internal tags now a standard feature (no longer in labs)
• Public API Beta enabled by default
• Enhanced configuration system using nconf
• Improved logging with bunyan and debug output
• Better session handling with fewer unexpected logouts
• New Casper 2.0 default theme with infinite scroll support

Migration Guide

Breaking Changes for Theme Developers

1. Image Helper Changes:

   • The {{image}} helper has been replaced with {{img_url}}
   • The new helper requires an attribute parameter: {{img_url feature_image}}
   • Update all instances in your theme templates

2. Image Field Naming Changes:

   • cover is now cover_image
   • image is now profile_image for users
   • image is now feature_image for tags/posts
   • Update any custom theme code that references these fields

3. Settings Changes:

   • language setting is now locale with default value of en
   • CamelCase settings keys have been replaced with underscore_case for consistency

4. Theme Configuration:

   • Posts per page is now a theme config setting
   • Use @config.posts_per_page instead of @blog.posts_per_page

5. Meta Description:

   • Meta description is now handled by ghost_head helper
   • Remove any custom meta description tags from your themes

For Administrators

1. Node.js Requirements:

   • Minimum Node.js version is now 4.5.0 (recommended: v6.9.0 or higher)
   • Update your Node.js installation before upgrading Ghost

2. Configuration Changes:

   • Review the new configuration system based on nconf
   • The url property has been removed from the default production config

3. Database Changes:

   • Several database schema changes have been made
   • Let Ghost handle the migrations automatically

For Developers

1. Storage Adapter Changes:

   • Storage adapters now located in content/adapters/storage/
   • Base storage adapter outsourced to npm package

2. Scheduling Adapter Changes:

   • Scheduling adapters now located in content/adapters/scheduling/

3. Markdown Processing:

   • Showdown has been replaced with Markdown-it
   • Update any custom extensions accordingly

Upgrade Recommendations

Upgrade Path

1. Backup First: Always create a complete backup of your Ghost installation, including the database, content, and themes before upgrading.

2. Node.js Version: Ensure you're running Node.js 4.5.0 or higher (Node.js 6.9.0+ recommended).

3. Custom Themes: If you're using a custom theme, review the breaking changes in the migration guide and update your theme accordingly before upgrading.

4. Storage Adapters: If you're using custom storage adapters, update them to match the new location and inheritance pattern.

5. Recommended Method: Use Ghost-CLI for the smoothest upgrade experience:

   ghost update
   

6. Manual Upgrade: If not using Ghost-CLI, follow the standard manual upgrade process:

   • Download the latest Ghost release
   • Replace the core files while preserving your content directory
   • Run yarn install to update dependencies
   • Run knex-migrator migrate to update your database

7. Post-Upgrade: After upgrading, verify that:

   • Your theme works correctly
   • Your content displays properly
   • Your images are loading
   • Your scheduled posts are functioning

Urgency

This is a major version upgrade with significant changes. While it includes many improvements and fixes, it also contains breaking changes. Medium urgency for most users, but high urgency for those experiencing issues fixed in this release. Plan the upgrade carefully, especially if you have custom themes or extensions.

Bug Fixes

Session Management

• Fixed issues with session handling, resulting in fewer unexpected logouts

Image Handling

• Fixed HTTPS image URLs when accessed over SSL
• Fixed favicon path issues
• Fixed image size timeout issues

Data Management

• Fixed collision detection when multiple users edit the same post
• Fixed issues with importing scheduled posts
• Fixed handling of invalid dates during import
• Fixed issues with importing users and maintaining owner references
• Fixed sanitization of email addresses in subscriber management

Theme & Template Issues

• Fixed custom robots.txt handling via template directory
• Fixed AMP template image helper and meta description
• Fixed issues with serving locked user profiles

API & Endpoints

• Fixed CORS middleware issues
• Fixed double slash in scheduling API URL
• Fixed database read settings from database during export

New Features

Admin Interface

• New Editor: Completely redesigned editor experience
• Nightshift Mode: Dark theme option for the admin interface
• New User Tour: Guided onboarding for new users
• Improved Publish Menu: Scheduling is now front and center in the workflow

Configuration & Infrastructure

• nconf-based Configuration: More robust configuration management
• bunyan Logging: Enhanced logging capabilities
• debug Module Integration: Better debug output for development
• Public API: Enabled by default (still in Beta)

Content Management

• Internal Tags: Now a standard feature (removed from labs)
• Simplified Content Screen: Better filtering and management
• Enhanced Importer: Complete overhaul with better error reporting

Theme Improvements

• Casper 2.0: New default theme with modern features
• Infinite Scroll: Added to the default theme
• New Helper: {{img_url}} replaces the previous {{image}} helper

Security Updates

Authentication & Authorization

• Improved protection for invite endpoint to prevent inviting existing users
• Enhanced user permission checks
• Better handling of suspended and locked user states

Input Validation

• Improved sanitization of email addresses in headers
• Better validation of configuration values
• Enhanced error handling for invalid inputs

Session Security

• Improved token management when deactivating users
• Better handling of authentication sessions

Performance Improvements

Testing & Development

• Improved test performance by using database truncation instead of deletion
• Optimized requires on bootstrap to load fewer modules on startup
• Added CSS minification with cssnano for better frontend performance

Theme Handling

• Improved theme loading and validation process
• Better error handling for theme issues
• Optimized theme middleware

API Performance

• Enhanced caching for theme API responses
• Improved handling of database transactions

Content Processing

• Replaced custom Showdown fork with Markdown-it for better performance and standards compliance
• Optimized HTML-to-plaintext conversion

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.0.0 represents a significant milestone in the platform's evolution, delivering a completely redesigned admin experience alongside substantial architectural improvements. The new editor, publishing workflow, and content management features greatly enhance the content creation experience, while the revamped configuration system and improved logging provide administrators with better tools for managing their Ghost installation.

For developers, the release introduces several breaking changes, particularly in the Theme API, requiring updates to custom themes. The migration from a custom Showdown fork to Markdown-it improves standards compliance and performance but may affect custom markdown extensions.

The default theme, Casper 2.0, offers readers an improved experience with features like infinite scroll, while the overall platform benefits from performance optimizations and bug fixes that enhance stability and security.

This release is the culmination of years of development work, addressing numerous long-standing issues while setting a foundation for future growth. The enabling of the Public API Beta by default signals Ghost's continued evolution toward becoming a more flexible and extensible publishing platform.

Users should plan their upgrade carefully, particularly if they use custom themes or extensions, but can expect a significantly improved publishing experience after migration.

Full Release Notes