Host Multiple GitHub Pages with Organizations | Generated by AI

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Yes, creating a GitHub organization is a viable way to host additional GitHub Pages sites with unique *.github.io subdomains, as each organization can have its own organization.github.io site, separate from your personal username.github.io site. Here’s how you can do it and what you need to know:

Key Points

• Personal Account Limitation: Each GitHub user account can have only one User Site, hosted at username.github.io, which is tied to a repository named username.github.io. If you’ve already used this for your personal account, you can’t create another *.github.io subdomain under the same account.
• Organization Sites: Each GitHub organization can also have its own Organization Site, hosted at organization.github.io, by creating a repository named organization.github.io. This allows you to create additional *.github.io subdomains by setting up multiple organizations.
• Project Sites: Both user and organization accounts can host multiple Project Sites (e.g., username.github.io/project or organization.github.io/project) from other repositories, but these are subpaths, not subdomains. If you specifically want distinct subdomains (e.g., sub.example.github.io), you cannot achieve this directly with GitHub Pages without a custom domain, as GitHub does not support custom subdomains like sub.example.github.io under the github.io domain.

Steps to Create a GitHub Organization for Additional *.github.io Subdomains

1. Create a GitHub Organization:
   • Go to GitHub and sign in with your account.
   • Click the “+” icon in the top-right corner and select New organization.
   • Follow the prompts to set up the organization, choosing a unique name (e.g., myorg). This name will determine the subdomain (e.g., myorg.github.io).
   • Note: Organizations can be created for free, but some features (like private repositories) may require a paid plan, depending on your needs. GitHub Pages for public repositories is available with GitHub Free.
2. Create the Organization’s GitHub Pages Repository:
   • In the new organization, create a repository named exactly myorg.github.io (replace myorg with your organization’s name).
   • This repository will host the Organization Site, accessible at https://myorg.github.io.
3. Set Up GitHub Pages:
   • Go to the myorg.github.io repository’s Settings tab.
   • Scroll to the Pages section.
   • Under Source, select the branch you want to publish (e.g., main or gh-pages) and save.
   • Once configured, the site will be live at https://myorg.github.io after a few minutes.
4. Add Content:
   • Add an index.html file or use a static site generator like Jekyll to the repository’s publishing branch.
   • Commit and push your changes. For example:

     git clone https://github.com/myorg/myorg.github.io
     cd myorg.github.io
     echo "Hello World" > index.html
     git add --all
     git commit -m "Initial commit"
     git push origin main
     

   • Visit https://myorg.github.io to verify the site is live.
5. Repeat for Additional Subdomains:
   • Create additional organizations (e.g., myorg2, myorg3) and repeat the process to get myorg2.github.io, myorg3.github.io, etc.
   • Each organization can have one *.github.io subdomain, allowing you to create as many subdomains as you have organizations.

Limitations and Considerations

• Custom Subdomains on github.io: You cannot create subdomains like sub.myorg.github.io directly with GitHub Pages. The github.io domain is managed by GitHub, and only username.github.io or organization.github.io are supported. To use custom subdomains (e.g., blog.example.com), you must own a custom domain and configure DNS settings (CNAME records) to point to myorg.github.io.
• Single Repository per Subdomain: Each *.github.io subdomain is tied to a single repository (username.github.io or organization.github.io). You cannot serve multiple subdomains from a single repository without a custom domain and additional hosting or proxying services.
• Management Overhead: Each organization requires separate management (e.g., members, permissions, billing). Ensure you’re comfortable managing multiple organizations.
• DNS and Custom Domains: If you want to use a custom domain (e.g., example.com or sub.example.com) instead of *.github.io, you can configure it in the repository’s Pages settings and add a CNAME record with your DNS provider. For example, point sub.example.com to myorg.github.io. Be sure to verify the domain to prevent takeover risks.
• Private Repositories: GitHub Pages for private repositories requires GitHub Pro, Team, or Enterprise plans. If you’re using free plans, ensure your myorg.github.io repository is public.

Alternative for Multiple Subdomains

If your goal is to have multiple subdomains (e.g., blog.example.com, shop.example.com) under a single custom domain, you can:

1. Purchase a custom domain (e.g., example.com) from a registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy.
2. Create multiple repositories in your organization (e.g., myorg/blog, myorg/shop).
3. Enable GitHub Pages for each repository, setting custom domains like blog.example.com and shop.example.com in their respective Pages settings.
4. Configure CNAME records with your DNS provider to point blog.example.com to myorg.github.io and shop.example.com to myorg.github.io. Note that all repositories without their own custom domain will appear under the organization’s custom domain as subpaths (e.g., example.com/blog).
5. Be aware that serving multiple subdomains from a single repository is not natively supported by GitHub Pages and may require external services like a CDN or reverse proxy.

Example Scenario

• You’ve used username.github.io for your personal site.
• Create an organization named myorg and a repository myorg.github.io to get myorg.github.io.
• Create another organization named myorg2 and a repository myorg2.github.io to get myorg2.github.io.
• For custom subdomains, own example.com, and set up blog.example.com (pointing to myorg.github.io) and shop.example.com (pointing to myorg2.github.io) via CNAME records.

Final Notes

• Creating multiple organizations is a straightforward way to get additional *.github.io subdomains without needing a custom domain.
• If you want true subdomains (e.g., sub.myorg.github.io), you’ll need a custom domain and DNS configuration, as GitHub’s github.io doesn’t support this natively.
• Always verify custom domains to avoid security risks like domain takeovers.
• DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate.

If you have further questions or need help with specific configurations, let me know!

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