GitHub Pages Not Displaying My Website? Here's What You Need to Know

What is GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages is a web hosting service provided by GitHub that allows developers to showcase their projects or host static websites for free. With GitHub Pages, you can publish static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files directly from your GitHub repository. You can also use custom domains and HTTPS encryption to make your website more professional and secure.

One of the most significant advantages of GitHub Pages is that it integrates seamlessly with GitHub, making it easy to update and maintain your website. You can also use GitHub Pages to host your documentation or user guides, making it a valuable tool for open-source projects.

Here are some issues you might face while hosting with GitHub Pages.

• GitHub Pages not displaying my websites

• GitHub Pages Shows README.md File

• GitHub Pages Shows 404 Page Not Found

• GitHub Pages Does Not Detect My index.html file

• My React/Vue/Angular website does not work with GitHub Pages

• My page shows 404 Not Found anytime I reload

• BrowserRouter not working properly with GitHub Pages

Why is My GitHub Pages not showing my website

There are many reasons why this might be happening

1. If GitHub Pages is only showing your ReadMe file and not your website, it means that there's no index.html file present in your repository. GitHub Pages will default to displaying your ReadMe file in this case, as it's the next best option

   How to fix the problem

   First, create a new file in the root of your repository named "index.html." You can do this by clicking the "Create new file" button on your repository page.

   Also, be sure to check the spelling and capitalization of the file name, as it should be index.html and not Index.html or index.HTML.

   NOTE: You don't need to worry much if you have an index.html and you are still having issues, check the next one.

2. This might be that you choose the wrong deployment source for your GitHub Pages Site

   How to fix the Problem

   In your repository, go to settings then pages. Under GitHub Pages select gh-pages branch as the source

   

   these are the scripts you should have for deployment to gh-pages:

    "scripts": {
    "predeploy": "npm run build",
    "deploy": "gh-pages -d build",
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject"
    },
   

   Make sure that your index.html is exposed in your gh-pages branch if you are not building and deploying manually and not using React, Vue, or Angular.

3. If you are building a Single Page Application (SPA) on React, Vue, or Angular; you should know GitHub Pages does not work well with SPAs.

   GitHub Pages doesn't have built-in intelligence to determine the appropriate routing for single-page applications (SPAs). As a result, users may experience issues when trying to deploy SPAs on GitHub Pages, such as incorrect routing or broken links.

   How to fix the Problem

   NOTE: There are many ways to resolve this issue, you can use any of these below or all.

   1. Add Homepage into your Package.json file

       "homepage": "https://yourUserName.github.io/yourProjectName/",
      

      If you are hosting on GitHub Pages for the first time, your homepage could be

        "homepage": "https://yourUserName.github.io/",
      

   2. Install gh-pages

       npm install gh-pages --save-dev
      

      Add redeploy and deploy in your scripts in package.json

       ... //Added predeploy and deploy
       "scripts": {
         "predeploy": "npm run build",
         "deploy": "gh-pages -d build",
         "start": "react-scripts start",
         "build": "react-scripts build",
         "test": "react-scripts test",
         "eject": "react-scripts eject"
       },
       ...
      

      then run predeploy and deploy

       npm run predeploy
       npm run deploy
      

      NOTE: As mentioned earlier, BrowserRouter does not work too well with gh-pages. The above method will make your website display but when you reload on your pages you get 404 Page Not Found because you are using BrowserRouter so you use HashRouter instead.

   3. Using of HashRouter instead of BrowserRouter

      Wrap your app with HashRouter instead of BrowserRouter in your index.js file and add a basename to it

       import React from 'react';
       import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';
       import { HashRouter} from 'react-router-dom';
       import './index.css';
       import App from './App';
      
       const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root'));
       root.render(
         <HashRouter basename={process.env.PUBLIC_URL}>
          <React.StrictMode>
           <App />
          </React.StrictMode>
         </HashRouter>
       );
      

Conclusion

In conclusion, GitHub Pages is a fantastic tool for hosting static websites and showcasing your projects for free. However, it can be challenging to troubleshoot some of the issues that arise, such as incorrect routing or broken links when working with SPAs. By following the solutions outlined in this article, you can easily resolve these issues and deploy your projects successfully on GitHub Pages. Remember to create an index.html file, choose the correct deployment source, add a homepage to your package.json file, and use HashRouter instead of BrowserRouter for your SPA. With these tips and tricks, you can confidently host your projects on GitHub Pages and share your work with the world.