GitHub Pages Guide: Free Static Site Hosting (2026)
GitHub Pages Guide: Free Static Site Hosting (2026)
Quick Answer
GitHub Pages is a free static site hosting service integrated directly into GitHub repositories. It serves pre-rendered HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files via a global CDN with automatic SSL certificates. It’s the optimal solution for documentation, portfolios, and project demos where code proximity to the repository is paramount.
Executive Summary
GitHub Pages functions as a specialized Static Site Hosting Service with integrated Continuous Deployment capabilities. Unlike general-purpose Cloud Service Providers or Platform-as-a-Service offerings, GitHub Pages strictly decouples the build environment from the runtime environment, offering a robust managed build pipeline via GitHub Actions while restricting the runtime to static asset delivery only.
Key Specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Official Name | GitHub Pages |
| Official Website | pages.github.com |
| Documentation | docs.github.com/en/pages |
| Service Type | Static Site Hosting + Deployment Tool |
| CDN Provider | Fastly (historically) |
| Site Size Limit | 1 GB |
| Bandwidth Limit | 100 GB per month (soft limit) |
| Cost | Free (public repos), GitHub Pro for private |
Core Architecture
Platform Identity
GitHub Pages operates on a “Documentation as Code” philosophy, treating website source as an extension of the software repository. This enforces version control best practices on web infrastructure and democratizes publishing for developers already within the GitHub ecosystem.
Deployment Models
Legacy: Branch-Based Deployment
Historically, deployment was triggered by pushing to specific branches (gh-pages, master, main) or folders (/ or /docs). This method relies on an internal, opaque build process (often running Jekyll).
Modern: GitHub Actions Integration
The contemporary standard utilizes GitHub Actions:
- Trigger: Push or merge event initiates a workflow runner
- Build: Runner executes build commands (npm run build, astro build)
- Artifact Upload: actions/upload-pages-artifact packages static output
- Deploy: actions/deploy-pages pushes artifact to Pages infrastructure
Operational Capabilities
| Capability | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Server-Side Rendering (SSR) | Not Supported | No Node.js/Python runtime |
| Static Site Generation (SSG) | Full Support | Core capability |
| Incremental Static Regeneration | Not Supported | Entire site must rebuild |
| Edge/Serverless Functions | Not Supported | Call external APIs only |
| Long-Running Processes | Not Supported | No background workers |
| WebSockets | Not Supported | HTTP/1.1 or HTTP/2 only |
| Cron Jobs | Supported (via Actions)** | GitHub Actions Scheduled Workflows |
| Persistent Storage | Not Supported | Read-only filesystem at runtime |
| Custom Domains | Supported | CNAME/A records with auto SSL |
| SSL Certificates | Supported (Managed) | Let’s Encrypt, enforced HTTPS |
| CDN | Supported | Global delivery network |
| Preview Deployments | Partial/Manual | Requires manual GitHub Actions config |
Framework Support
Full Support
| Framework | Implementation Details |
|---|---|
| Angular | Builds to SPA, requires baseHref setting, works via angular-cli-ghpages |
| Astro | Static-first architecture, default output target, zero-JS hydration works natively |
| Qwik | Qwik City offers dedicated static adapter, serializes state to HTML |
| React (Vite) | Standard SPA builds, requires 404.html hack or HashRouter for client-side routing |
| SolidJS | Compiles to efficient static JavaScript/HTML, SolidStart includes static adapter |
| Svelte | Compiler-based framework, produces optimized vanilla JS bundles |
| Vue.js | Standard Vue SPAs (Vite/CLI), requires configuration for history mode routing |
Partial Support (Functional Downgrade)
| Framework | Limitations |
|---|---|
| Next.js | Requires output: 'export'. Loses API Routes, Middleware, Image Optimization, ISR |
| Nuxt | Requires nuxt generate (SSG). Loses server-side API routes and SSR |
| Remix | New “SPA Mode” allows deployment but disables server-side loaders/actions |
| SvelteKit | Requires adapter-static. Loses server endpoints and dynamic SSR |
| Hono | SSG helper (hono/ssg) exports static routes, dynamic request handling fails |
No Support
| Framework | Reason |
|---|---|
| Django Ninja | Python backend requiring WSGI/ASGI server process |
| Elysia | Backend framework for Bun requiring persistent runtime |
| Express.js | Node.js backend server requiring persistent runtime |
| FastAPI | Python backend requiring Uvicorn/Gunicorn |
| Laravel | PHP framework requiring PHP runtime and web server |
| Litestar | Python ASGI framework requiring persistent server process |
| NestJS | Node.js backend framework requiring server runtime |
| Spring Boot | Java framework requiring JVM |
Pricing and Strategic Value
Free Tier
- Hosting: Completely free for public repositories
- Included: Unlimited builds (for public repos), bandwidth within soft limits
- Build Rate: Soft limit of 10 builds per hour (legacy builds)
Paid Tiers
For Pages on private repositories:
| Tier | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Pro | $4/month (individuals) | Enables Pages for private repos |
| GitHub Team | $4/user/month | Enables Pages for organization-owned private repos |
| GitHub Enterprise | $21/user/month | Enterprise features |
Best Use Cases
- Documentation: Hosting README-based docs (MkDocs, Docusaurus) directly from the repo
- Open Source Demos: Public repositories get unlimited Actions minutes for live demos
- Personal Portfolios: Free tier with custom domain support for professional resumes
- Static Blogs: Jekyll, Hugo, Astro align perfectly with the architecture
Anti-Patterns (Avoid For)
- Dynamic Web Apps: Applications needing complex backend logic, database connections, or authentication
- E-Commerce: Full e-commerce logic cannot be securely hosted
- High-Frequency Updates: Real-time data updates without client-side fetching
Operational Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Source Repository Size | Recommended 1 GB limit |
| Published Site Size | Maximum 1 GB for final artifact |
| Bandwidth | Soft limit of 100 GB per month |
| Build Rate | Soft limit of 10 builds/hour (legacy) |
Runtime Constraints
- Max Execution Time: N/A (Runtime) / ~6 Hours (Build)
- Cold Start Impact: None (static files served from cache/disk)
- Memory Limits: N/A (Runtime) / ~7 GB (Build)
Comparison
vs. Netlify
| Aspect | GitHub Pages | Netlify |
|---|---|---|
| Static Hosting | Free (public repos) | 100 GB (Starter) |
| Preview Deployments | Manual configuration | Automatic for every PR |
| Serverless Functions | No | Yes (Node.js, Go) |
| Edge Functions | No | Yes (Deno runtime) |
| Background Functions | No | Yes (up to 15 minutes) |
vs. Vercel
| Aspect | GitHub Pages | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Static sites | Next.js/Frontend Cloud |
| Free Tier | Unlimited (public) | 100 GB bandwidth, 1M edge requests |
| SSR Support | No | Full (serverless/edge) |
| Functions | No | Yes (Vercel Functions, Edge Functions) |
| Build Minutes | Unlimited (public) | 6,000/month (Hobby) |
vs. Cloudflare Pages
| Aspect | GitHub Pages | Cloudflare Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Build Integration | GitHub Actions | Native Git integration |
| Preview Deployments | Manual | Automatic for PRs |
| Functions | No | Workers (Edge compute) |
| Bandwidth | 100 GB soft limit | Unlimited |
Migration Path
For projects outgrowing GitHub Pages:
- To Netlify/Vercel: Better for dynamic features, serverless functions, automatic previews
- To Cloudflare Pages: Better for edge computing and Workers
- To DigitalOcean App Platform: Better for always-on compute and background workers
Conclusion
GitHub Pages stands as the foundational pillar of static site hosting for the modern web development ecosystem. Its profound integration with GitHub Actions allows for a seamless “commit-to-publish” pipeline that drastically reduces operational overhead for documentation, portfolios, and static content.
However, its rigorous adherence to the static paradigm creates a hard ceiling for complexity. The lack of Server-Side Rendering, API routes, and edge functions renders it unsuitable for the new wave of full-stack meta-frameworks in their default configurations.
Verdict: Use GitHub Pages for content that lives alongside code—documentation, project sites, and portfolios. For dynamic applications requiring backend logic, it must be paired with external backend services or replaced by more capable PaaS alternatives.
Last Updated: January 20, 2026 Research Source: GitHub Pages Hosting Platform Research