---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/github-pages.md
title: "GitHub Pages: hosting a site from a repository"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "CC BY 4.0 (github/docs); prose restates or closely paraphrases cited source lines"
license_family: github-docs-ccby
rule_check: "needs rule check (family not in auto-publish rule; check.mjs auto-approves only usgov and arxiv-ccby)"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: GitHub Docs, What is GitHub Pages? - GitHub Docs, CC BY 4.0 (github/docs); GitHub Docs, Creating a GitHub Pages site - GitHub Docs, CC BY 4.0 (github/docs)."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-04
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-04
as_of: 2026-11-04
confidence: medium
untested: "No code was run for this note; only the fetched documentation pages were read."
category: coding-references
topic_area: "code-ai-eng: GitHub"
tags: ['github', 'pages', 'static-sites']
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "What is GitHub Pages? - GitHub Docs"
    publisher: GitHub Docs
    url: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/what-is-github-pages
    accessed: 2026-11-04
    license: "CC BY 4.0 (github/docs)"
  - id: S2
    title: "Creating a GitHub Pages site - GitHub Docs"
    publisher: GitHub Docs
    url: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/creating-a-github-pages-site
    accessed: 2026-11-04
    license: "CC BY 4.0 (github/docs)"
---
# GitHub Pages: hosting a site from a repository

**Answer:** You can use GitHub Pages to host a website about yourself, your organization, or your project directly from a repository on GitHub. (S1)

## Kinds of sites

- There are two types of GitHub Pages sites: sites associated with a user or organization account, and sites for a specific project. (S1)
- You can host your site on GitHub's github.io domain or your own custom domain. (S1)
- If you're creating a user or organization site, your repository must be named <user>.github.io or <organization>.github.io. (S2)
- If your user or organization name contains uppercase letters, you must lowercase the letters. (S2)

## Creating a site

- You can create a GitHub Pages site in a new or existing repository. (S2)
- Before you can create your site, you must have a repository for your site on GitHub. (S2)
- Decide which publishing source you want to use. (S2)
- GitHub Pages will look for an index.html, index.md, or README.md file as the entry file for your site. (S2)
- Your GitHub Pages site is built and deployed with a GitHub Actions workflow. (S2)
- When a GitHub Pages site is visited, the visitor's IP address is logged and stored for security purposes. (S1)

## Claims
- id: C1
  claim: GitHub Pages hosts a website directly from a GitHub repository.
  source: S1
  evidence: "You can use GitHub Pages to host a website about yourself"
- id: C2
  claim: There are user or organization sites and project sites.
  source: S1
  evidence: "There are two types of GitHub Pages sites."
- id: C3
  claim: A Pages site can be created in a new or existing repository.
  source: S2
  evidence: "You can create a GitHub Pages site in a new or existing repository."

## Sources
- [S1] What is GitHub Pages? - GitHub Docs. GitHub Docs. https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/what-is-github-pages . License: CC BY 4.0 (github/docs). Accessed 2026-11-04.
- [S2] Creating a GitHub Pages site - GitHub Docs. GitHub Docs. https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/creating-a-github-pages-site . License: CC BY 4.0 (github/docs). Accessed 2026-11-04.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).