Beginning

Prof Lu asks me to to build a GitHub pages using custom domain. So I explore whether GitHub project pages can use custom domain.

I guess since the pages of repo project lives in username.github.io/project, it seems incompatible with CNAME record, which points one (sub)domain to another (sub)domain, i.e., the /project part is not allowed).

But GitHub crashes since about 11:30 (Beijing time), after a lot of depression, I decide to try on GitLab. The configuration is more complicated, as GitLab asks you to also set TXT record for verifying your DNS.

Curve to GitLab

The results quite surprised me. It turns out that for custom domain of project pages is also dongzhuoer.gitlab.io, the same as that of user pages.

For example:

Then I can’t hesitate to ask a question: what if I create DBA/index.html in dongzhuoer.gitlab.io repo?

• https://dongzhuoer.gitlab.io/DBA/ is still homepage of DBA
• http://gitlab.ncrnalab.org/DBA/ displays DBA/index.html

Back to GitHub

In the evening, I can normally use GitHub, but the build for Pages pends. I had no option but to create demo files and wait for result. Finally GitHub Pages recovers in the next day.

It turns out the case for GitHub is nearly identical to that of GitLab. Except that after you enable custom domain, https://dongzhuoer.gitlab.io/DBA/ would automatically jumps to http://gitlab.ncrnalab.org/, given that you have enforced HTTPS. Thus we lose the chance to ask the above question for GitHub.

Afterword

The following official posts may be helpful:

• About supported custom domains
• Custom domain redirects for GitHub Pages sites
• User, Organization, and Project Pages