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How to SSL-secure my GitHub Pages Jekyll blog

How to SSL-secure my GitHub Pages Jekyll blog

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Good news — GitHub Pages already provides free SSL (HTTPS) automatically for all custom domains and default .github.io domains. You just need to make sure your configuration is correct.

Here’s how to make your Jekyll blog fully SSL-secure:

1. If You’re Using the Default GitHub.io Domain

If your site is something like:


https://username.github.io

✅ GitHub Pages automatically enables HTTPS for it.

To confirm:

  1. Go to your repository on GitHub.

  2. Click Settings → Pages.

  3. Under “Custom domain” and “Enforce HTTPS”, ensure “Enforce HTTPS” is checked.

That’s it — your site will always redirect to HTTPS.

2. If You’re Using a Custom Domain

If you’re using a domain like www.yoursite.com or blog.yourbrand.co.ke, follow these steps:

Step 1: Configure DNS Correctly

In your DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap), add:

A Records (for apex domain e.g., yoursite.com):


185.199.108.153
185.199.109.153
185.199.110.153
185.199.111.153

CNAME Record (for www):


www  →  yourusername.github.io

(Replace yourusername with your GitHub username.)

Step 2: Add Your Custom Domain in GitHub

  1. Go to your repo → Settings → Pages

  2. Under Custom domain, enter your domain (e.g., www.yoursite.com)

  3. Click Save

GitHub will verify your DNS and automatically issue an SSL certificate (via Let’s Encrypt).

Step 3: Enforce HTTPS

Once the certificate is ready (can take a few minutes or hours):

  1. Check the “Enforce HTTPS” box under Settings → Pages.

  2. Test your site:

🔐 3. Force HTTPS Redirects in Jekyll (Optional)

Even though GitHub usually handles redirects, you can force it manually by adding this to your _config.yml: