What it does
GitHub Pages hosts static websites for GitHub users, organizations, and project repositories. It serves HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from a repository and can build the site before publishing. Use it for documentation, project pages, or a personal site; it does not run server-side application code.
GitHub Pages is a repository-backed option for publishing a static site without setting up a separate host. Start with a new or existing GitHub repository, add an entry file such as index.html, index.md, or README.md, then select a publishing source. A branch and folder is the simplest route for ready-to-serve files; a GitHub Actions workflow can build the site or use a generator other than Jekyll.
Match the build to the site
A site published from a source branch uses Jekyll by default. For another static-site generator or a custom build, configure an Actions workflow and deploy its output artifact. This means the hosting service handles publication, but the workflow still needs to produce the right static files and include the entry file at the artifact root. A pushed change can take several minutes to appear.
The site is publicly available on the internet, even when its source repository is private and the plan allows private Pages. GitHub Free supports Pages for public repositories; private-repository use requires an eligible paid plan. Pages is for static content: the official documentation says it does not support server-side languages such as PHP, Ruby, or Python. Treat it as a fit for docs, portfolios, and other static projects, not as a replacement for an application server.
Strengths
- A site can publish from a repository branch or a custom GitHub Actions build workflow.
- The service supports custom domains and can host user, organization, and project sites.
- The default Jekyll build path can publish Markdown-based sites without a separate build host.
Watch out for
- Pages serves static files and does not support server-side languages.
- A GitHub Free account can use Pages only with a public repository; eligible paid plans are needed for private-repository Pages.
- A Pages site is public on the internet, including when its source repository is private.
Best for
- Publishing project documentation or a static project website from its GitHub repository
- Hosting a portfolio, personal site, or blog built with Jekyll
- Deploying a generated static site with a GitHub Actions workflow
Sources
- GitHub Pages documentation - GitHub Docs (Oct 25, 2026)
- What is GitHub Pages? - GitHub Docs (Oct 25, 2026)
- Creating a GitHub Pages site - GitHub Docs (Oct 25, 2026)
- GitHub · Plans & pricing for every developer and team · GitHub (Oct 25, 2026)