GitHub Pages

Host websites directly from GitHub repositories with Git-driven automation.

• Official Website: pages.github.com
• Category: Hosting & Deployment
• Type: Git-Integrated Static Hosting

Overview

GitHub Pages is a free static website hosting service that turns code repositories into live websites. Maintained by GitHub, it natively integrates with Git workflows: whenever you push updates to a designated branch or run a GitHub Actions workflow, your site updates automatically.

GitHub Pages supports custom domains, automatic SSL/TLS certificate provisioning via Let's Encrypt, and built-in Jekyll support for blogging and documentation.

Key Highlights & Features

• 100% Git-Driven: Deploy automatically on every git push.
• Free Custom Domains & SSL: Bring your own domain with automatically renewed HTTPS certificates.
• Native GitHub Actions Support: Build with any static generator (Vite, Astro, Hugo, Eleventy) and deploy.
• Zero Cost: Free for public repositories on standard GitHub accounts.

How It Works with Static Websites

You can host your site by placing an index.html in the root or docs/ directory of your repository, or use a GitHub Actions workflow:

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy to GitHub Pages

on:
  push:
    branches: ["main"]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      pages: write
      id-token: write
    environment:
      name: github-pages
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
        with:
          path: "."
      - uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4

When to Use It

• Open-source project documentation and personal portfolios.
• Websites version-controlled in GitHub repositories.
• Zero-cost hosting with simple continuous deployment.