Table of Contents
🌍 Why GitHub Pages?
As Android developers, we often neglect our web presence. “I build apps, not webs”, we say. But having a portfolio or technical blog is vital for your career.
GitHub Pages is the perfect solution because:
- It’s Free: Unlimited hosting for static projects.
- It’s Git-based: You deploy with a
git push. - It’s Fast: Served via GitHub’s CDN.
- Supports Custom Domains:
your-name.comwith free HTTPS.
🚀 Astro: The Web Framework for Non-Web Devs
This blog is built with Astro. Why Astro and not React/Angular?
- Zero JS by Default: Astro renders static HTML. Loads instantly.
- Content-Driven: Designed for blogs and documentation (native Markdown).
- Familiar Syntax: If you know HTML and a bit of JS (or Kotlin/Java), you know Astro.
---
// This is like the "backend" of the component (runs at build time)
const title = "My Android Portfolio";
const apps = ["Sudoku", "TodoApp", "Weather"];
---
<!-- This is the template (HTML + variables) -->
<html>
<body>
<h1>{title}</h1>
<ul>
{apps.map((app) => <li>{app}</li>)}
</ul>
</body>
</html>🛠️ Configuring the Deployment Pipeline
To deploy an Astro website to GitHub Pages automatically:
- Enable Pages in your repo:
Settings -> Pages -> Source: GitHub Actions. - Create the workflow
.github/workflows/deploy.yml:
name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
permissions:
contents: read
pages: write
id-token: write
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: withastro/action@v2
with:
package-manager: npm
deploy:
needs: build
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
environment:
name: github-pages
url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
steps:
- name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
id: deployment
uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4🎨 Library Documentation (Dokka + Pages)
If you have an Open Source Android library, you must have web documentation.
- Generate documentation with Dokka (see documentation article).
- Configure Dokka output to go to a
docs/folder. - In GitHub Pages settings, choose
Source: Deploy from a branchand select the/docsfolder.
Done! Now you have your-user.github.io/your-library with professional navigable documentation.
🎯 Conclusion
You don’t need to be a React expert or spend money on AWS to have a professional web presence. With GitHub Pages and Astro, you can build and maintain your personal brand using the same tools (Git, CI/CD) you use every day.
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