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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →GitHub Pages turns HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in a GitHub repository into a public website, with an optional build step. It is a straightforward way to publish project documentation without running a web server, provided the finished site can be static. For a beginner, the shortest route is to choose a repository, open Settings → Pages, select a publishing source, and add or edit the site content.
What GitHub Pages does—and what it does not
GitHub Docs describes Pages as a service that takes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files from a repository, optionally runs them through a build process, and publishes a website. That makes it suitable for documentation and other static sites. Pages is not a general application host: it does not run server-side PHP, Ruby, or Python code for your site. GitHub Docs: What is GitHub Pages? GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site
Treat the published website as public, even when its source repository is private. Do not put passwords, API keys, private documents, or other secrets in the files Pages will publish. GitHub Free supports Pages for public repositories; support for private repositories depends on the plan. GitHub Docs: What is GitHub Pages? GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site with Jekyll
Publish a basic site from a repository
- Create or choose a repository. A project site can use the repository that contains the project. For a personal or organization landing site, name the repository
<owner>.github.io. - Open the Pages settings. In the repository, go to Settings → Pages.
- Choose a source. Select Deploy from a branch, then choose the branch and publishing folder offered by the settings page.
- Add the site content. Use the repository’s README as a starting point, or add the static site files that your workflow requires. GitHub’s quickstart also explains how to set the site title and description in
_config.yml.
GitHub’s quickstart documents this branch-publishing path and the title and description settings. GitHub Docs: Quickstart for GitHub Pages
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A personal or organization site uses the address https://<owner>.github.io. A project site normally appears below its repository path, as https://<owner>.github.io/<repositoryname>. GitHub allows at most one user or organization Pages site per account and one project Pages site per repository. GitHub Docs: What is GitHub Pages?
Choose a publishing workflow that fits your documentation
| Workflow | Useful when | Maintenance trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Branch publishing with Jekyll | You want a simple static site compatible with Pages’ default build process. | Few setup steps; Jekyll is used by default when publishing from a branch. |
| GitHub Actions with another generator | Your documentation already uses MkDocs or another static generator. | The workflow must define the build and deployment steps, but it accommodates a generator other than Jekyll. |
| Build elsewhere, then publish static output | Your team already has a build process or prefers to generate files locally. | Your team owns the generated output and the steps that publish it. |
| MkDocs on Read the Docs or another static host | Your documentation or hosting requirements point away from Pages. | MkDocs documents Read the Docs integration and notes that any static-file host can serve generated output; setup differs by host. |
For branch publishing, Jekyll is the default build process. GitHub’s Jekyll guide recommends installing Jekyll and Git, and using Bundler to manage Ruby dependencies and reduce environment-related build errors. If the project uses a different generator, use a GitHub Actions workflow or build the files elsewhere and publish the resulting static output. For branch publishing with a non-Jekyll generator, GitHub also documents bypassing Jekyll with an empty .nojekyll file. GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site with Jekyll GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site
If you use GitHub Actions, GitHub says Actions is free for public repositories; charges can apply to private or internal repositories after the free monthly allotment is exceeded. Because these service terms can change, check GitHub’s current documentation and plan details before choosing a workflow on a private or internal repository. GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site with Jekyll
Know when a custom domain is worth the setup
A custom domain is optional. Pages supports subdomains such as docs.example.com and www.example.com, as well as apex domains such as example.com. Subdomains use a CNAME DNS record; apex domains use A, ALIAS, or ANAME records. GitHub recommends verifying a domain before attaching it and recommends configuring www even if you also use the apex domain. With DNS configured correctly, the domain forms can redirect between one another. GitHub Docs: About custom domains and GitHub Pages
Verification also helps protect against domain takeover. If a Pages site is disabled but its custom DNS records still point to GitHub, another person could potentially attach that domain to a different Pages site. Remove or update DNS records when retiring a site, and verify the domain before connecting it. GitHub Docs: About custom domains and GitHub Pages
MkDocs-specific deployment detail
If the documentation source is MkDocs, its deployment guide covers publishing to GitHub Pages as well as Read the Docs and other static hosts. For a custom domain, keep a file named CNAME in the root of the documentation source directory; otherwise, the file may be lost when gh-deploy updates the Pages branch. MkDocs: Deploying Your Docs
Allow time for publishing and diagnose delays
GitHub’s Jekyll guide says a site can take up to 10 minutes to publish after a push. If changes are still missing after an hour, the guide points to build-error troubleshooting. Check the build status and the selected branch and publishing source before changing the site structure. GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site with Jekyll
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