How To Enable GitHub Pages: A Beginner's Guide

GitHub Pages is a fantastic tool that allows you to effortlessly publish your websites. Whether you’re a newbie to web development or an experienced coder, this step-by-step guide will show you how to enable GitHub Pages. By the end, you’ll have your own live website up and running for the world to see.

What is GitHub Pages?

GitHub Pages is a free service provided by GitHub, the world’s largest platform for hosting and managing code repositories. It’s a simple way to turn your GitHub repositories into live websites. You can use it to showcase your projects, portfolios, documentation, or even a personal blog.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:

1. A GitHub Account: If you don’t have one, sign up at GitHub.

2. A Repository: You’ll need a GitHub repository where your website’s files will be stored. If you don’t have one yet, create a new repository by clicking the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner of your GitHub dashboard.

Enabling GitHub Pages

Here’s how to enable GitHub Pages for your repository:

1. Navigate to Your Repository: Go to your repository’s main page on GitHub.

2. Click on the “Settings” Tab: It’s located on the right-hand side, just below the repository’s name.

3. Click on the “Pages” link: You’ll find this link on the sidebar menu of the settings page.

4. Select Your Source Branch: In the “Source” dropdown, choose the branch you want to use for your GitHub Pages site. Typically, you’ll select the ‘main’ or ‘master’ branch.

5. Save Your Changes: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Save” button to apply your settings.

6. Wait for Deployment: GitHub Pages will now build your website from the selected branch. This may take a few minutes. You’ll see a green checkmark once the deployment is successful.

Accessing Your GitHub Pages Site

Congratulations! Your GitHub Pages site is now live. To access it, follow these steps:

1. Go to Your Repository: Open your GitHub repository where you enabled GitHub Pages.

2. Click on the “Settings” Tab: If you’re not already on the settings page, navigate there.

3. Click on the “Pages” link on the sidebar menu: Here, you’ll find a link to your published website. It will look something like this: https://yourusername.github.io/repositoryname.

4. Click the Link: This will take you to your live website.

Updating Your Website

To update your GitHub Pages website, simply push changes to the branch you selected as the source. GitHub Pages will automatically rebuild and update your site.