How to Host a Project on GitHub – A Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you’re building a portfolio, sharing a side project, or collaborating with a team, GitHub makes it easy to host and manage your code online. In this guide, you’ll learn how to host your project on GitHub, from creating a repository to pushing your code.

Table of Contents

📁 Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following:

A GitHub account
Git installed on your computer (run git --version to check)

🛠️ Step 1: Create a GitHub Repository

Go to https://github.com
Click + in the top right → New repository
Enter repository details:
- Name: e.g., my-portfolio
- Description: (Optional)
- Choose Public or Private
Click Create repository

💻 Step 2: Initialize Git Locally (If You Haven’t)

If your project is not yet a Git repository, open your terminal and navigate to your project folder:

cd path/to/your-project
git init

📥 Step 3: Add and Commit Files

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

This stages and commits all your files.

🌐 Step 4: Connect to GitHub

Copy the GitHub repository URL (HTTPS or SSH) and run:

git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/your-repo-name.git

Then push your code:

git push -u origin main

If your branch is called master, use master instead of main.

🧪 Step 5 (Optional): Set Up GitHub Pages (for Hosting Static Websites)

Go to your repository on GitHub
Click Settings
Scroll to Pages
Under Source, choose a branch (e.g., main) and folder (/root or /docs)
Click Save

Your website will be live at:

https://your-username.github.io/your-repo-name/

✅ Summary of Commands

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <repo-URL>
git push -u origin main

🏁 Conclusion

Hosting your project on GitHub not only backs up your code but also makes it easy to collaborate, manage issues, and showcase your work. GitHub Pages even lets you turn your project into a live website in minutes.