How to Choose and Deploy Your Own Blog Platform: WordPress, Ghost, or Hexo

Overview

When building a personal technical blog, the first decision is the type of platform: dynamic (server‑side rendering) or static (pre‑generated files). The choice influences the required runtime, customization effort, performance, and hosting cost.

Dynamic Blog Platforms

WordPress

WordPress is the most widely used dynamic blogging system. It is written in PHP and stores content in a MySQL/MariaDB database. Typical requirements are:

PHP ≥ 7.4, MySQL ≥ 5.6

Any shared‑hosting plan that provides a PHP runtime (e.g., inexpensive virtual private servers for ~¥300 / year)

Advantages:

Rich ecosystem of plugins and themes

Built‑in admin UI for content, comments, and user management

Drawbacks for developers who prefer Markdown and lightweight setups:

Core editor is HTML‑centric; Markdown support relies on third‑party plugins with limited features

Performance can be lower than static generators because each request triggers PHP execution and database queries

Deep customizations often require PHP knowledge, increasing the learning curve

Ghost

Ghost is a modern Node.js‑based blogging platform that emphasizes a Markdown‑first editor and fast page rendering.

Technical requirements:

Node.js ≥ 14 (LTS)

SQLite (default) or MySQL for persistence

Typical deployment involves a virtual private server (VPS) or cloud Elastic Compute Service (ECS) because most shared hosts do not provide a persistent Node.js runtime.

Key benefits:

Clean Markdown editor with live preview

Lightweight runtime; pages are rendered quickly

Limitations:

No native hierarchical category system—only tags. Implementing custom categories requires source‑code modifications.

Higher hosting cost than PHP shared hosting because a VPS is needed.

Static Blog Generators

Hexo (Recommended)

Hexo is an open‑source static site generator built on Node.js. Source files are written in Markdown; during the build process Hexo renders them into static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that can be served by any web server or static‑hosting service.

Typical workflow:

# Install Hexo CLI globally
npm install -g hexo-cli

# Create a new site in the current directory
hexo init my-blog
cd my-blog

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Generate static files
hexo generate

# Start a local preview server
hexo server

Theme installation (example with the popular hexo-theme-icarus):

# Clone the theme into the themes directory
git clone https://github.com/dyc87112/hexo-theme-icarus.git themes/icarus

# Enable the theme in _config.yml
theme: icarus

Advantages:

Zero runtime on the server – only static files are served, so any static‑file host (GitHub Pages, Gitee, Netlify, etc.) works.

Markdown support is native; plugins can extend functionality (e.g., tags, categories, search).

Low deployment cost; a minimal VPS or even a free static‑hosting account is sufficient.

Large selection of community themes, many comparable to WordPress in appearance.

Considerations:

Dynamic features (comments, search) must be added via third‑party services (e.g., Disqus, Algolia) or client‑side scripts.

Content updates require rebuilding the site and redeploying the static files.

Deployment Options

WordPress : Deploy on any PHP‑compatible shared host. Example: a basic Alibaba Cloud virtual space costing ¥298 per year is adequate for low‑traffic blogs.

Ghost : Requires a VPS with Node.js. Typical cost is comparable to a low‑end ECS instance; shared hosting is unsuitable.

Hexo : Can be hosted on free static‑hosting platforms (GitHub Pages, Gitee) or on a cheap VPS for greater control. No runtime environment is needed beyond a web server that serves static files.

Summary

For developers who want full control, low cost, and a Markdown‑centric workflow, Hexo is the most practical choice. WordPress remains a viable option for users who prefer an all‑in‑one admin interface and are comfortable with PHP hosting. Ghost offers a sleek Node.js experience but incurs higher hosting costs and lacks built‑in category management, making it suitable only when its specific editor experience is required.