Ghost Release: 5.27.0

TL;DR

Ghost 5.27.0 brings important bug fixes for email management, member handling, and portal functionality. Key improvements include fixing SingleUseTokens persistence across server restarts, proper validation for offer amounts, correct tier ordering by price, and better handling of member counts for authors and editors. The release also adds support for Node.js 18 while bumping the minimum required Node version to 14.18.0.

Highlight of the Release

• Added support for Node.js 18
• Fixed SingleUseTokens persistence across server restarts
• Improved validation for offer amounts in the admin panel
• Fixed tier ordering by monthly price
• Removed inappropriate free trial messaging for invite-only sites

Migration Guide

Node.js Version Requirement

The minimum required Node.js version has been increased from 12.x to 14.18.0. If you're running Ghost on an older version of Node.js, you'll need to upgrade before updating to Ghost 5.27.0.

To check your current Node.js version:

node -v

If you're using a version lower than 14.18.0, please follow the Node.js installation instructions to upgrade.

Email Suppressions Table Changes

This release includes migrations that drop and recreate the suppressions table to fix issues with incorrect rows and missing constraints. The table will be emptied during the upgrade process, and the email_address column has been renamed to email to match the users and members tables.

If you've been relying on the suppressions table data, be aware that this data will be reset during the upgrade.

Upgrade Recommendations

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

1. Want to run Ghost on Node.js 18
2. Have experienced issues with magic links (SingleUseTokens) not working after server restarts
3. Have encountered problems with email batches or member counts
4. Need proper validation for offer amounts in the admin panel

Before upgrading:

• Ensure your server meets the new minimum Node.js requirement of 14.18.0
• Take a backup of your Ghost installation and database
• Review the migration guide for any changes that might affect your setup

The upgrade process follows the standard Ghost update procedure and should be straightforward for most installations.

Bug Fixes

Fixed SingleUseTokens Being Cleared on Boot

Magic links in Ghost are valid for 24 hours, and after first usage, the token remains valid for an additional 10 minutes to accommodate email clients that may "visit" links. Previously, these tokens were cleared on server restart, which could cause issues for users trying to use valid tokens. This fix ensures tokens remain valid for their intended lifespan even across server restarts by adding new fields to track token usage:

• first_used_at: Records when the token was first used
• used_count: Tracks how many times the token has been used
• updated_at: Stores when the token was last changed/used

Fixed Tier Ordering by Monthly Price

Tiers are now correctly ordered from lowest to highest monthly price, matching the documented behavior in the API. This ensures consistent display of pricing tiers throughout the admin interface and API responses.

Fixed Missing Validation of Offer Amounts

Improved validation for the amount field in offers to cover all type/amount cases. The validation now runs on blur to match standard validation behavior and re-validates when the offer type changes. This prevents invalid offer configurations from being saved.

Fixed Free Trial Message for Invite-Only Sites

Removed the free trial messaging that was incorrectly showing in Portal for sites configured as "invite only" in membership settings. This ensures the messaging is consistent with the site's configuration.

Fixed Admin Loading Member Counts for Authors and Editors

Fixed an issue where the admin interface would attempt to load member counts for authors and editors, resulting in unnecessary 403 errors. Since authors and editors don't have permission to view member information, the system now skips these requests entirely.

Fixed Email Batches with Empty "to" Field

Added retry logic when fetching recipients for email batches to handle cases where the recipient list could be empty despite having entries in the database. This improves the reliability of the email sending process.

Fixed Settings Menu Header and Tags Overlapping

Resolved a UI issue where the settings menu header and tags were overlapping, improving the overall user experience in the admin interface.

New Features

Added Support for Node.js 18

Ghost now officially supports Node.js 18, which is the current LTS (Long Term Support) version. This allows site owners to run Ghost on the latest stable Node.js environment with all its performance improvements and security updates.

Improved Theme Error Notifications

A new static version of theme error notifications has been added to make theme errors more discoverable. This includes a permanent notification toast and a static modal to hold theme error details, making it easier for administrators to identify and fix theme-related issues.

Security Updates

No specific security fixes were included in this release.

Performance Improvements

Improved Email Service Reliability

Several improvements have been made to the email service to enhance its reliability:

• Added retry logic when fetching recipients for email batches
• Better handling of email verification requirements
• Improved handling of large imports with concurrent processing

Enhanced Domain Events Processing

Added a DomainEvents.allSettled utility method to improve test reliability and speed by allowing tests to wait for all events to be processed before continuing. This should make tests more reliable and faster by avoiding timeouts.

Impact Summary

Ghost 5.27.0 focuses on improving reliability and fixing several important bugs across the platform. The most significant changes include better handling of SingleUseTokens (magic links) across server restarts, proper validation for offer amounts, and correct tier ordering by price.

For developers, the addition of Node.js 18 support and the increase in minimum Node.js version to 14.18.0 represents an important step forward in keeping Ghost compatible with modern JavaScript environments.

Site owners will benefit from improved email delivery reliability, better handling of free trial messaging for invite-only sites, and updated Stripe Connect buttons for better discoverability.

Administrators will appreciate the improved theme error notifications, making it easier to identify and fix theme-related issues. The UI improvements, including fixed settings menu header and tags overlap, contribute to a better overall user experience.

This release contains no breaking changes beyond the Node.js version requirement increase, making it a recommended upgrade for all Ghost users.

Full Release Notes