For many years, my websites hosted on GitHub Pages lacked the crucial HTTPS protocol. Initially, it seemed like a feature that wasn’t available, but a recent encounter with a GitHub-hosted site using Jekyll piqued my curiosity. I decided it was time to explore whether I could also add the SSL magic to my websites. Surprisingly, the process turned out to be quite simple.

The Old A Records:

Previously, my A records looked like this:

  • 192.30.252.153
  • 192.30.252.154

The New A Records:

To enable SSL, I had to update the A records to the following:

  • 185.199.108.153
  • 185.199.109.153
  • 185.199.110.153
  • 185.199.111.153

The AAAA Records:

Additionally, I needed to add AAAA records:

  • 2606:50c0:8000::153
  • 2606:50c0:8001::153
  • 2606:50c0:8002::153
  • 2606:50c0:8003::153

This task was particularly cumbersome because GoDaddy, my domain registrar, insisted on verifying multiple times that it was indeed me making the DNS changes.

Enforcing HTTPS

The setting to enforce HTTPS can be found in the repository settings under Pages and Custom Domain. All it took was a simple tick of the box, and I was good to go—once GitHub figured out the updated DNS records.

Conclusion

Enabling SSL certificates on my GitHub Pages websites was a long-overdue task that turned out to be much simpler than I anticipated. With a few DNS record updates and a checkbox tick, I finally joined the ranks of secure website owners. If you’re in a similar situation, don’t hesitate to make the switch—it’s easier than you think and well worth the effort in terms of security and user trust.