Ghost Release: 1.0.0-rc.1

TL;DR

Ghost 1.0.0-rc.1 marks the first release candidate for Ghost 1.0, bringing us closer to the stable release. This update includes critical bug fixes for URL handling in subdirectories, custom robots.txt support, and AMP template updates. It also introduces a new Ghost Author fixture for welcome content and improves the configuration handling. The release focuses on stability and user experience improvements as Ghost transitions from beta to release candidate status.

Highlight of the Release

• First release candidate for Ghost 1.0
• Fixed subdirectory URL handling for admin functions
• Re-enabled custom robots.txt support via themes
• Added new Ghost Author fixture for welcome content
• Updated AMP template to use correct image helpers
• Improved editor experience with better focus handling
• Node v6 now recommended for Ghost installations

Migration Guide

When upgrading to Ghost 1.0.0-rc.1:

1. Use Ghost-CLI: Install this version via Ghost-CLI for production usage.

2. Configuration Changes:

   • The url property has been removed from config.production.json as it's not needed and was causing confusing errors.
   • Check any custom configuration that might rely on absolute path handling, as this functionality has been updated.

3. Theme Updates:

   • If you're using a custom theme with AMP support, update your AMP templates to use the {{img_url}} helper instead of {{image}} for feature images.
   • If you're using a custom robots.txt in your theme, verify it works correctly after the upgrade.

4. Node.js Version:

   • Ghost now recommends Node.js v6. Consider upgrading your Node.js version if you're running an older version.

5. Welcome Content:

   • The release includes updated welcome post fixtures. If you want to remove these, you can delete the default Ghost user along with all welcome posts.

Upgrade Recommendations

Who should upgrade: All Ghost users, especially those looking to take advantage of the latest features and bug fixes as Ghost approaches its stable 1.0 release.

When to upgrade: This is a release candidate, so while it's more stable than beta versions, production sites should upgrade with caution and proper testing. If you're running a critical production site, you might want to test this version in a staging environment first.

How to upgrade: Use the Ghost-CLI to install or upgrade to this version. A new CLI release (1.0.0-rc.1) is available to support this Ghost version.

Compatibility: This version is designed to work best with Node.js v6, which is now the recommended version for Ghost installations.

For more details about Ghost's versioning and support plans, refer to the 1.0 & LTS blog post.

Bug Fixes

• Subdirectory URL Handling: Fixed a regex issue that now properly allows Ghost to work in subdirectories. This resolves problems with reset password and invite links not routing to the correct destination.

• Custom robots.txt Support: Re-enabled support for serving custom robots.txt files from active themes by reordering the blog middleware. This feature is documented at themes.ghost.org.

• AMP Template Updates: Updated the AMP template to reflect recent image helper changes, replacing the {{image}} helper with {{img_url}} for feature_image and removing the deprecated {{meta_description}} helper.

• Labs Defaults on Import: Fixed an issue where importing data wouldn't honor the latest default settings for labs features. This ensures that when upgrading from LTS to 1.0, features like Public API are enabled by default as intended.

• Empty Posts Publishing: Fixed a bug that could allow empty posts to be published.

• Infinite Scroll Edge Case: Resolved an issue in Casper's infinite scroll that could cause an infinite loop under certain conditions.

• Welcome Tour Elements: Fixed broken positioning on welcome tour elements.

• SVG Icons: Fixed minor visual bugs with SVG icons.

• Session Sync: Resolved issues with session synchronization when using multiple tabs or refreshing the page.

New Features

• Ghost Author Fixture: Added a new Ghost Author user that serves as the author for welcome blog posts. This user is set to active status so the author slug works properly.

• Node v6 Recommendation: Ghost now officially recommends Node.js v6 for installations, with updated documentation and test coverage for this version.

• Casper Theme Updates: The default Casper theme has been updated with infinite scroll functionality, improving the reading experience for visitors.

• Improved Logging: Transformed console.log statements into proper logging, ensuring that all log messages appear correctly in the system logs.

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were mentioned in this release.

Performance Improvements

• Tag Management: Improved performance for tag management, especially for sites with hundreds of tags.

• Editor Focus: The editor now focuses on the content area by default rather than the title, creating a more efficient writing workflow.

• Configuration Handling: Cleaned up the absolute path configuration function to use native Node.js functionality instead of reinventing path.isAbsolute, resulting in more efficient code.

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.0.0-rc.1 represents a significant milestone as the first release candidate for Ghost 1.0. This release focuses on stability and refinement rather than introducing major new features, making it an important stepping stone toward the stable 1.0 release.

The most impactful changes include fixes for URL handling in subdirectories, which resolves issues with admin functions like password resets and invites, and the re-enabling of custom robots.txt support via themes. The addition of a new Ghost Author fixture improves the welcome content experience for new installations.

For developers, the recommendation of Node.js v6, improved logging, and configuration handling changes are notable improvements. Theme developers will appreciate the updated AMP template and Casper theme enhancements with infinite scroll.

This release removes beta mentions throughout the codebase as Ghost transitions to release candidate status, signaling that the platform is approaching production readiness for its landmark 1.0 version.

Full Release Notes