How to Set Up a GitHub Pages Blog with Custom Domain — Complete 2026 Guide

GitHub Pages is one of the best free hosting options for developers. Zero cost, tight Git integration, automatic HTTPS, and it scales effortlessly. This guide walks you through every step — from zero to a live blog with a custom domain. Why GitHub Pages in 2026? Before diving in, here is why developers keep choosing GitHub Pages: Free forever — no credit card, no expiry Custom domains + free HTTPS via Let's Encrypt Deploy on git push — no build servers to manage Jekyll built-in or bring your own static site generator 99.9% uptime backed by GitHub's CDN I use GitHub Pages for Profiterole Blog , a personal finance blog — and it has been rock-solid. Step 1: Create the Repository Your repo name determines your default URL: Repo name Default URL username.github.io https://username.github.io my-blog https://username.github.io/my-blog For a clean root URL, name the repo <your-username>.github.io . # Create locally and push mkdir my-blog && cd my-blog git init echo "# My Blog" > index.md git a