# Ghost to WriteFreely: Migration to the Fediverse

![Person tippt auf Laptop-Tastatur neben Kaffeetasse mit Kingston-Aufdruck, Monitor zeigt Rocket Book Academy Website](/content/images/from-ghost-to-writefreely-my-migration-to-the-fediverse/blogging.webp)

## Why WriteFreely?

After years with various blogging platforms, I was looking for something **simpler**. Ghost was great, but:

✅ **Native ActivityPub Integration** - My blog is automatically available in the Fediverse
✅ **Minimal Resource Usage** - Single binary, no Node.js, no complex infrastructure
✅ **Focus on Writing** - No distractions, just writing
✅ **Self-hosted** - Full control over my data
✅ **Markdown-native** - No formatting battles

## Setup: WriteFreely on LXC (Proxmox)
### Why Native Installation Instead of Docker?

After several frustrating hours with Docker mount problems, I decided on native installation. **Best decision ever!**

```bash
# Download WriteFreely binary
cd /opt
wget <https://github.com/writefreely/writefreely/releases/download/v0.15.0/writefreely_0.15.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz>
tar -xzf writefreely_0.15.0_linux_arm64.tar.gz
mv writefreely /opt/writefreely
cd /opt/writefreely
# Interactive configuration
./writefreely --config
```

### Configuration (config.ini)

```bash
[server]
bind = 0.0.0.0  # Important for reverse proxy
port = 8080
https = false   # Reverse proxy handles HTTPS

[app]
site_name = My Blog
host = <https://blog.example.com>  # Your real domain!
single_user = true
federation = true  # This is the key!
public_registration = false

[database]
type = sqlite3  # Simpler than MySQL for single user
filename = writefreely.db
```


### As systemd Service

```bash
# Create service file
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/writefreely.service << 'EOF'

[Unit]
Description=WriteFreely
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=www-data
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/opt/writefreely
ExecStart=/opt/writefreely/writefreely
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable writefreely
sudo systemctl start writefreely
```

### Reverse Proxy (Traefik/Nginx)

Example configuration:
- **Frontend**: `blog.example.com`
- **Backend**: `http://192.168.1.100:8080`
- **SSL**: Automatic

## Migration from Ghost

### Export from Ghost

Ghost Admin → Settings → Labs → "Export content"

### Migration Script (Python)

Since WriteFreely's import features are limited, I migrated most posts manually. For automatic migration:

```python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import json
import requests
from datetime import datetime
def migrate_ghost_to_writefreely(ghost_export, writefreely_url, token):
    with open(ghost_export, 'r') as f:
        data = json.load(f)
    posts = data['db'][0]['data']['posts']
    for post in posts:
        if post['status'] == 'published':

            # WriteFreely API Call
            payload = {
                'body': convert_html_to_markdown(post['html']),
                'title': post['title']
            }

            # ... API integration
```

**My tip**: For small blogs (< 20 posts), manual copying is often faster and cleaner.

## Custom CSS: The Perfect Dark Theme

After many iterations, here's my final WriteFreely dark theme:

```css
/* WriteFreely Custom Dark Theme */
/* === SANS-SERIF FONT === */
body, html, * {
    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', system-ui, sans-serif !important;
}

/* === ANTHRACITE DESIGN === */
body, html {
    background: #2e2e2e !important;
    color: #f0f0f0 !important;
}

/* === COLORED HEADING HIERARCHY === */
body h1 { color: #ffffff !important; font-size: 1.8rem !important; }
body h2 { color: #7db3f3 !important; font-size: 1.5rem !important; }
body h3 { color: #98d982 !important; font-size: 1.3rem !important; }
body h4 { color: #f9cc81 !important; font-size: 1.2rem !important; }

/* === LINKS === */
body a { color: #7db3f3 !important; }
body a:hover { color: #98d982 !important; }

/* === CODE BOXES (This was a battle!) === */
body pre {
    background: #1e1e1e !important;
    color: #f0f0f0 !important;
    border: 1px solid #444 !important;
    border-radius: 8px !important;
    padding: 1rem !important;
}

body code {
    background: #1e1e1e !important;
    color: #f0f0f0 !important;
    border: 1px solid #444 !important;
    border-radius: 8px !important;
    padding: 0.2rem 0.4rem !important;
}

/* === IMAGES WITH ROUNDED CORNERS === */
body img {
    border-radius: 12px !important;
    max-width: 100% !important;
}

/* === REMOVE FOOTER === */
body footer { display: none !important; }
```

### HTML Shortcuts for Beautiful Images

For consistent image presentation, I use these HTML shortcuts:

```html
<!-- Standard image with shadow -->
<img src="<https://cdn.example.com/images/image.png>" alt="Description"
     style="border-radius: 12px !important;
            box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important;
            margin: 2rem auto !important;
            display: block !important;">

<!-- Image with caption -->
<figure style="text-align: center; margin: 2rem auto;">
    <img src="<https://cdn.example.com/images/image.png>" alt="Description"
         style="border-radius: 12px !important;
                box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important;">
    <figcaption style="color: #8b949e; font-style: italic; margin-top: 1rem;">
        Caption here
    </figcaption>
</figure>
```

## ActivityPub: Automatically in the Fediverse

The best thing about WriteFreely: **It just works!**
- **My blog**: `@username@blog.example.com`
- **Followers**: Automatically via Mastodon, Pleroma, etc.
- **Posts**: Automatically federated to the Fediverse
- **Interaction**: Comments via ActivityPub possible

### Testing Federation

```bash
# Test WebFinger
curl <https://blog.example.com/.well-known/webfinger?resource=acct:username@blog.example.com>

# ActivityPub profile
curl -H "Accept: application/activity+json" <https://blog.example.com/@username>
```

## Troubleshooting: Common Problems

### Problem 1: Code boxes stay white
**Solution**: Edit WriteFreely's `write.css` directly:

```bash
cd /opt/writefreely/static/css
sudo nano write.css
# Search for: background:#f8f8f8
# Replace with: background:#1e1e1e
```

### Problem 2: CSS not applied

**Solution**: Aggressively clear browser cache, test different browsers.

### Problem 3: ActivityPub doesn't work

**Solution**:
- `federation = true` in config.ini
- `host = <https://your-real-domain.com`> (not localhost!)
- Reverse proxy configured correctly

## Webspace for Images
Separate container for static assets:

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml for webspace
services:
  webspace:
    image: httpd:latest
    volumes:
      - ./webspace:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs
    labels:
      - "traefik.http.routers.webspace.rule=(Host(`cdn.example.com`))"
      # ... Additional labels
```

## Conclusion: Is the Switch Worth It?

**Definitely yes!** After migration:
✅ **Much faster** - Page loads lightning fast
✅ **Less maintenance** - One binary, no updates, no Node.js
✅ **Fediverse integration** - My posts automatically reach more people
✅ **Focus on writing** - No distractions from complex themes/plugins
✅ **Resource efficient** - Runs smoothly on small LXC

## Resources

- **WriteFreely**: [https://writefreely.org](https://writefreely.org/)
- **ActivityPub Plugin (WordPress)**: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/activitypub/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/activitypub/)
- **Fediverse Test**: [https://fediverse.party](https://fediverse.party/)

_Migration completed: ✅ Self-hosted, ✅ Fediverse-ready, ✅ Minimal & fast_