Ghost Release: 1.8.6

TL;DR

Ghost 1.8.6: Bug Fixes and Improvements

This release focuses on fixing several important bugs related to URL redirections, custom domains, Disqus comment IDs during content migration, and update notifications. It improves the stability of Ghost installations, particularly for users with custom domain setups or those migrating content between Ghost instances. The update is recommended for all Ghost 1.x users to ensure proper functionality of redirects, API access, and comment systems.

Highlight of the Release

• Fixed doubled query parameters issue in URL and admin URL redirections
• Fixed public API access when using custom domains
• Changed update notifications to only show for minor/major releases
• Fixed Disqus comment ID handling during content export/import

Migration Guide

No migration steps are required for this release. This is a patch release that fixes bugs and makes minor improvements without introducing breaking changes.

Upgrade Recommendations

This release is recommended for all Ghost 1.x users, especially those who:

• Use custom domains for their blog with a different domain for the admin panel
• Perform content migrations between Ghost instances
• Use Disqus for comments

The update addresses several important bugs that could affect the stability and functionality of your Ghost installation. As this is a patch release (1.8.5 → 1.8.6), the upgrade should be straightforward with minimal risk.

Bug Fixes

URL and Redirection Fixes

• Fixed doubled query parameters in URL and admin URL redirections
• Fixed an issue where Express was adding query parameters to the originalUrl, causing them to be duplicated
• Added proper tests to prevent regression

Custom Domain API Access Fix

• Fixed public API access when using a custom domain
• Resolved an issue where Ghost would lose the origin header when the blog runs on a custom domain but the admin panel is configured with a different domain
• Added tests to ensure this won't happen again

Disqus Comment ID Fix

• Fixed handling of Disqus comment IDs when exporting/importing 1.x content
• Resolved an edge case where the importer would detect a null amp field and import the old object ID as comment ID
• Ensured comment IDs are consistently stored as strings (as expected by Disqus)
• Prevents loss of comment threads during content migration

New Features

Update Notification Improvements

• Update notifications now only appear for minor and major releases
• Reduces notification noise for patch releases
• Temporary improvement until the planned notification refactoring is merged into 1.X/LTS

Security Updates

No security fixes were included in this release.

Performance Improvements

Test Performance Improvements

• Fixed random test failures related to post ordering during import tests
• Improved the handling of parallel post additions during import tests
• Optimized comment ID tests
• Used findPage instead of findAll to support proper ordering in tests

Impact Summary

Ghost 1.8.6 is a maintenance release that addresses several important bugs affecting URL redirections, custom domain setups, and content migration. The most significant fixes include resolving issues with doubled query parameters in redirections, fixing public API access on custom domains, and ensuring Disqus comment IDs are properly maintained during content export/import operations.

The update also includes a quality-of-life improvement by reducing notification noise - update notifications will now only appear for minor and major releases, not for every patch release. Additionally, the codebase received cleanup and consistency improvements, making it more maintainable for developers.

While this release doesn't introduce new features, it significantly improves the stability and reliability of Ghost installations, particularly for users with custom domain configurations or those who migrate content between Ghost instances.

Full Release Notes