How can I create a repeatable Ghost development environment using the official Docker image and version‑locked dependencies?

Answer the question directly

Use a specific tag of the official Ghost Docker image (e.g., ghost:5.46.0) and define a docker‑compose.yml that mounts a ./content volume for persistent data and, if needed, a theme directory. The image already contains a fixed Node.js version, so no additional Node baking is required. Hot‑reload works because Ghost watches files inside the mounted volume.

Confirmed facts and minimal steps

1. Pull the exact Ghost image you want to lock:

docker pull ghost:5.46.0

2. Create a docker‑compose.yml:

version: '3.8'
services:
  ghost:
    image: ghost:5.46.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      NODE_ENV: development
      GHOST_URL: http://localhost:2368
    ports:
      - "2368:2368"
    volumes:
      - ./content:/var/lib/ghost          # persistent data, logs, uploads
      - ./theme:/var/lib/ghost/content/themes/mytheme  # optional: mount your theme

3. Add a .dockerignore to keep the build context lean (though we are not building an image, it prevents accidental inclusion of node_modules if you later extend the image):

   node_modules
   npm-debug.log
   Dockerfile
   .dockerignore
   .git
   .gitignore
   

4. Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

5. Verify the container is running and serving the expected Ghost version:

docker compose ps
# or
curl -s http://localhost:2368/ghost/api/v3/site/ | jq .version

When the recommendation changes

If your theme requires a build step (e.g., Gulp, Webpack) that must run before Ghost can serve the assets, you will need to either:

• Run the build inside the container via a custom entrypoint or a separate Node service that writes to the mounted theme volume, or
• Use a multi‑stage Dockerfile that builds the theme in a Node builder stage and copies the output into the Ghost image, then mount the source for live edits.

In that case, let me know whether you need a build step for your theme so I can adjust the recommendation.