GitHub Pages with Namecheap custom domain

ghpwithnamecheap.md

Using GitHub Pages with a custom domain: Namecheap Edition

As often happens, I found the official documentation and forum answers to be "close, but no cigar", and so had to experiment a little to get things working.

The main problem for me was a lack of concrete configuration examples. That's not entirely GitHub's fault: having migrated from Google Domains to Namecheap in the middle of this project, I was once again reminded of how many different ways there are to do things in the name service universe [1].

Although you'd think the simplest setup would be to merely configure for the subdomain case (https://www.example.com), in my experience using the apex domain (https://example.com) instead resulted in fewer complications.

Procedure

So here's my recipe for using a custom domain with GitHub pages where Namecheap is the DNS provider:

1. Create A records for apex domain in Namecheap Advanced DNS panel for the domain(in this example, the fictional "example.com"):

Record Type	Host	Address	TTL
A Record	@	185.199.108.153	30 minutes
A Record	@	185.199.109.153	30 minutes
A Record	@	185.199.110.153	30 minutes
A Record	@	185.199.111.153	30 minutes
CNAME Record	www	youracctname.github.io	30 minutes

2. Wait an hour, then test if DNS is set up properly:

me@myhost:~$ dig +noall +answer +nocmd example.com
example.com.		1800	IN	A	185.199.110.153
example.com.		1800	IN	A	185.199.109.153
example.com.		1800	IN	A	185.199.108.153
example.com.		1800	IN	A	185.199.111.153

me@myhost:~$ dig +noall +answer +nocmd www.example.com
www.example.com.	1800	IN	CNAME	youracctname.github.io.
youracctname.github.io.	3600	IN	A	185.199.108.153
youracctname.github.io.	3600	IN	A	185.199.111.153
youracctname.github.io.	3600	IN	A	185.199.110.153
youracctname.github.io.	3600	IN	A	185.199.109.153

3. In the GitHub repo config for Pages (Settings... Pages), enter your apex domain, "example.com" (not "www.example.com") in the "Custom Domain" box.

4. Wait for GitHub to generate and install the SSL certificate for that apex domain (at least an hour).

5. Test by going to "https://example.com" and "https://www.example.com".

I highly recommend not changing domain registrars and DNS providers in the middle of all that.

Notes

[1] The other problem is how damned long it takes for things to propagate across global DNS, especially when starting with TTLs of an hour (the trick is to try reducing your TTL before making any other changes, going from an hour to fifteen minutes can make a huge difference in blood pressure readings). Even with shorter TTLs, you need to anticipate upwards of an hour delay between changes. So chill. Read a book. Talk to the dog.

Further Reading

"Configuring a custom domain for your GitHub Pages site". GitHub Docs, https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site, Retrieved 9 September 2021.

"How do I link my domain to GitHub Pages". Namecheap Knowledgebase, https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/9645/2208/how-do-i-link-my-domain-to-github-pages/, Retrieved 10 September 2021.

Can I rename the dns on namecheap ?

Not sure what you're asking.

@hwedi To add a subdomain, (i.e. sub.text.com) open up your domain settings on namecheap (Domain List, Manage), ensure that your nameservers is NameCheap BasicDNS, go to Advanced DNS, under Host Records, create a new CNAME record, and under host, let that be your subdomain (what precedes the dot), and then under the target, make that your github pages link, i.e. cat.github.io, then you shall get a subdomain.

DUDDE thank u bro ,i got the enforce https button thank u bro

Thank you big man.

thanks!

Thanks very much for this. So good to find this after wading through all the almost correct tutorials to do this. Lessoned learned check gist for answers first rather than last 👍

Thank you very much, I have config it by following the tutorial.
Also, Others can refer to official tutorial: How do I link my domain to GitHub Pages

I'm encountering some indexing issues with my website www.abc.com. While my development site, abc.github.io, is successfully indexed by Google, the primary domain www.abc.com seems to be missing from search results. Appreciate a step-by-step guide on how to make both URLs indexed by Google. Note that I use the Namecheap DNS registrar.