How to Publish GitHub Pages from Private Repositories¶

# Check via browser
1. Log in to GitHub
2. Click your profile picture (top right)
3. Select "Settings"
4. Click "Billing and plans" in the left sidebar
5. Check the "Current plan" section

# Check from organization settings
1. Navigate to your organization page
2. Click the "Settings" tab
3. Select "Billing and plans"
4. Check "Current plan"

# Using GitHub CLI
gh api user --jq '.plan.name'

# For organizations
gh api orgs/ORG_NAME --jq '.plan.name'

# Steps to upgrade to GitHub Pro
1. Settings → Billing and plans
2. Click "Upgrade" button
3. Select "GitHub Pro"
4. Enter payment information
5. Confirm with "Purchase"

# Create a new private repository
gh repo create my-private-site --private

# Change existing repository to private
gh repo edit --visibility private

# Create CNAME file
echo "www.example.com" > CNAME
git add CNAME
git commit -m "Add custom domain"
git push

# Key Understanding
- Repository: Private (source code hidden)
- Pages site: Public (accessible to anyone)

# Settings → Pages → Access control
Visibility: Private
Access: Members of [organization] only

// Simple JavaScript authentication (NOT recommended)
const password = prompt("Enter password");
if (password !== "secret123") {
    window.location.href = "https://github.com";
}

# _config.yml
title: My Private Documentation
description: Internal documentation site
baseurl: "/my-private-site"
url: "https://username.github.io"

# Build settings
markdown: kramdown
theme: minima

# Private settings
github: [metadata]
repository: username/my-private-site

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

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

permissions:
  contents: read
  pages: write
  id-token: write

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/configure-pages@v4
      - uses: actions/jekyll-build-pages@v1
        with:
          source: ./
          destination: ./_site
      - uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3

  deploy:
    environment:
      name: github-pages
      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs: build
    steps:
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        id: deployment
        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4

# package.json configuration
{
  "dependencies": {
    "private-package": "git+https://${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/org/private-repo.git"
  }
}

# Environment variable in GitHub Actions
env:
  GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

# Upgrade your plan
Settings → Billing → Change plan → Select "Pro"

# Verify correct branch
git branch -a

# Create gh-pages branch
git checkout -b gh-pages
git push origin gh-pages

# Gemfile
source "https://rubygems.org"
gem "github-pages", group: :jekyll_plugins
gem "webrick" # Required for Ruby 3.0+

# Test locally
bundle install
bundle exec jekyll serve

# .gitignore
# Exclude sensitive files
.env
secrets/
*.key
config/production.yml

# Build artifacts
_site/
.sass-cache/
.jekyll-cache/

# Branch strategy
main        → Source code (private)
gh-pages    → Built site (for Pages)
develop     → Development work

# Utilize free tiers
- Public repositories: Documentation and demos
- Private repositories: Production code and sensitive data
- GitHub Actions: Use 2,000 free minutes efficiently

# netlify.toml
[build]
  command = "npm run build"
  publish = "dist"

# Authentication settings
[[redirects]]
  from = "/*"
  to = "/index.html"
  status = 200
  conditions = {Role = ["admin", "member"]}

// vercel.json
{
  "builds": [
    { "src": "package.json", "use": "@vercel/static-build" }
  ],
  "routes": [
    { "src": "/(.*)", "dest": "/$1" }
  ]
}

# amplify.yml
version: 1
frontend:
  phases:
    preBuild:
      commands:
        - npm ci
    build:
      commands:
        - npm run build
  artifacts:
    baseDirectory: dist
    files:
      - '**/*'