git-gh-pages

git gh-pages

git gh-pages creates and sets up a gh-pages branch for GitHub Pages hosting. This is a git-extras command that automates the creation of an orphan branch with an empty history, suitable for hosting static websites independent of the main project history.The command creates the orphan branch, removes all tracked files, and makes an initial empty commit. After creation, the gh-pages branch can be populated with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. When pushed to GitHub, the repository content becomes accessible as a website at https://username.github.io/repository.

Requires the git-extras package to be installed. The command switches the working directory to the new gh-pages branch. Modern GitHub Pages can also deploy from a subdirectory (e.g., /docs) on the main branch or via GitHub Actions, making the orphan branch approach less common than it once was.

git-fresh-branch(1), git-extras(1), git-checkout(1), git-branch(1)