Deployment Guide - Treta Sharma Portfolio Website

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying the Treta Sharma portfolio website to GitHub Pages with a custom domain.

📋 Prerequisites

🚀 Deployment Steps

1. Repository Setup

  1. Create GitHub Repository 
    # If you haven't already, create a new repository on GitHub named 'tretasharma'
# Make sure it's public for GitHub Pages to work
  2. Initialize Git and Connect to GitHub 
    cd /path/to/tretasharma
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit: Professional portfolio website"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/USERNAME/tretasharma.git
git push -u origin main

2. GitHub Pages Configuration

  1. Enable GitHub Pages
    • Go to your repository on GitHub
    • Navigate to Settings → Pages
    • Under “Source”, select “GitHub Actions”
    • The workflow will automatically deploy from the main branch
  2. Verify Workflow
    • Check the “Actions” tab in your repository
    • Ensure the “Deploy Jekyll site to Pages” workflow runs successfully
    • The site will be available at https://USERNAME.github.io/tretasharma

3. Custom Domain Setup

3.1 DNS Configuration

Configure your domain’s DNS settings with your domain registrar:

For Apex Domain (tretasharma.com):

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.108.153
TTL: 3600

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.109.153
TTL: 3600

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.110.153
TTL: 3600

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.111.153
TTL: 3600

For WWW Subdomain:

Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: USERNAME.github.io
TTL: 3600

3.2 GitHub Repository Settings

  1. Configure Custom Domain
    • Go to repository Settings → Pages
    • Under “Custom domain”, enter: tretasharma.com
    • Check “Enforce HTTPS”
    • GitHub will automatically create a CNAME file in your repository
  2. Verify Domain
    • Wait for DNS propagation (can take up to 24 hours)
    • GitHub will verify the domain automatically
    • A green checkmark will appear when verification is complete

4. SSL Certificate

GitHub Pages automatically provides SSL certificates for custom domains:

5. Verification Steps

  1. Check DNS Propagation 
    # Use online tools or command line
nslookup tretasharma.com
dig tretasharma.com
  2. Test Website
    • Visit https://tretasharma.com
    • Verify SSL certificate (green lock icon)
    • Test all navigation links and functionality
    • Check mobile responsiveness
  3. Performance Testing
    • Use Google PageSpeed Insights
    • Test with GTmetrix or similar tools
    • Verify Core Web Vitals scores

6. SEO Configuration

  1. Google Search Console
    • Add property for tretasharma.com
    • Verify ownership using HTML file method
    • Submit sitemap: https://tretasharma.com/sitemap.xml
  2. Google Analytics (Optional)
    • Create GA4 property
    • Add tracking ID to _config.yml
    • Verify tracking is working

🔧 Maintenance

Regular Updates

  1. Content Updates 
    # Make changes to content
git add .
git commit -m "Update: [description of changes]"
git push origin main
  2. Dependency Updates 
    # Update Jekyll and gems
bundle update
git add Gemfile.lock
git commit -m "Update dependencies"
git push origin main

Monitoring

  1. Check GitHub Actions
    • Monitor deployment workflows
    • Check for any build failures
    • Review logs for warnings or errors
  2. Website Health
    • Regular broken link checks
    • Performance monitoring
    • SSL certificate expiration (automatic renewal)

🛠 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Build Failures 
    # Check Jekyll build locally
bundle exec jekyll build --verbose
   
# Fix any syntax errors or missing dependencies
bundle install
  2. DNS Issues
    • Verify DNS records are correct
    • Check propagation status
    • Ensure TTL values are reasonable (3600 seconds)
  3. SSL Certificate Issues
    • Disable and re-enable HTTPS enforcement
    • Check domain verification status
    • Wait 24 hours for certificate provisioning
  4. Custom Domain Not Working
    • Verify CNAME file exists in repository
    • Check DNS configuration
    • Ensure domain is verified in GitHub settings

Support Resources

📊 Performance Optimization

Image Optimization

Caching Strategy

Code Optimization

🔒 Security Considerations

  1. HTTPS Enforcement
    • Always use HTTPS
    • Implement HSTS headers
    • Use secure external resources
  2. Content Security Policy
    • Implement CSP headers
    • Restrict resource loading
    • Monitor for violations
  3. Regular Updates
    • Keep Jekyll and dependencies updated
    • Monitor security advisories
    • Review third-party integrations

📈 Analytics & Monitoring

  1. Performance Metrics
    • Core Web Vitals
    • Page load times
    • Mobile usability
  2. User Analytics
    • Visitor tracking
    • Behavior analysis
    • Conversion monitoring
  3. SEO Monitoring
    • Search rankings
    • Organic traffic
    • Keyword performance

✅ Post-Deployment Checklist

📞 Support Contact

For technical issues or questions about the deployment:

Last Updated: June 2025
Version: 1.0
Maintainer: Treta Sharma