Adding Custom Functionality with GhostCMS

Erkan Doğan

— 1 min read
Adding Custom Functionality with GhostCMS
Photo by David Dibert / Unsplash

Introduction

GhostCMS is not just a blogging platform; it is a powerful content management system that can be extended with custom functionality. Whether you want to add a contact form, integrate with third-party services, or create custom post types, GhostCMS provides several ways to extend its capabilities.

Using Ghost-CLI

The Ghost-CLI is a command-line tool that simplifies the process of managing and extending your Ghost site. You can use it to:

  • Install and manage plugins: GhostCMS has a growing ecosystem of plugins that can add various features to your site.
  • Create custom integrations: Use the Ghost API to create custom integrations with other services.

Installing Plugins

To install a plugin, run the following command:

ghost install plugin <plugin-name>

Creating Custom Integrations

To create a custom integration, you can use the Ghost API. Here's an example of how to fetch posts using the API:

const fetch = require('node-fetch');

const apiKey = 'your-api-key';
const apiVersion = 'v3';
const apiUrl = `https://your-ghost-site.com/ghost/api/${apiVersion}/content/posts/`;

fetch(apiUrl, {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Key ${apiKey}`
  }
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

Using Custom Post Types

GhostCMS allows you to create custom post types, which can be useful for organizing different types of content. To create a custom post type, you can use the custom_post_types feature.

Example: Creating a Custom Post Type

  1. Enable Custom Post Types: In the Ghost admin panel, go to Settings > Labs and enable the custom_post_types feature.
  2. Create a Custom Post Type: Go to Settings > Custom Post Types and create a new post type. For example, you can create a portfolio post type.
  3. Use the Custom Post Type: When creating a new post, select the custom post type from the dropdown.

Conclusion

Adding custom functionality to your GhostCMS site can enhance its capabilities and make it more tailored to your needs. Whether you use plugins, the API, or custom post types, GhostCMS provides a flexible and powerful platform for building custom solutions.

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