Setting Up GitHub Pages with Custom Subdomain Using Cloudflare DNS

GitHub Pages & Cloudflare DNS Setup for Subdomains

This guide provides the official, recommended steps to configure a custom subdomain (e.g., blog.savdert.com) for GitHub Pages using Cloudflare as your DNS provider, based on GitHub’s official documentation.

1. Configure GitHub Pages

First, you need to tell your GitHub repository that you intend to use a custom domain.

1. Navigate to your GitHub repository.
2. Go to Settings > Pages (under the “Code and automation” section).
3. Under Custom domain, type your subdomain (e.g., blog.savdert.com).
4. Click Save.
   • Note: This will automatically create a commit adding a CNAME file to the root of your repository.

2. Configure Cloudflare DNS (CNAME Record)

For a subdomain (like blog.savdert.com), GitHub requires a CNAME record, not A records.

1. Go to your Cloudflare Dashboard and navigate to DNS > Records.
2. Add a new record with the following details:
   • Type: CNAME
   • Name: blog (the subdomain part) and www.blog
   • Target: msavdert.github.io (your GitHub Pages default domain)
   • Proxy status: ☁️ DNS Only (Grey cloud)
     • Important: Leave it as “DNS Only” initially so GitHub can successfully provision an SSL certificate. You can turn on the orange cloud (Proxied) later if you want Cloudflare’s features.

GitHub strongly recommends never using wildcard DNS records (e.g., *.savdert.com), as they put you at immediate risk of domain takeovers.

3. Verify Your Custom Domain (Highly Recommended)

Verifying your domain at the account level prevents other GitHub users from taking over your custom domain if you ever delete your repository or remove the custom domain from your repository settings.

1. In the upper-right corner of GitHub, click your profile picture and go to Settings.
2. In the sidebar under “Code, planning, and automation”, click Pages.
3. Click Add a domain.
4. Enter blog.savdert.com and click Add domain.
5. GitHub will provide a DNS TXT record to add (e.g., _github-pages-challenge-msavdert).
6. Go back to Cloudflare DNS and add the TXT record:
   • Type: TXT
   • Name: _github-pages-challenge-msavdert (or exactly as GitHub instructs)
   • Content: The challenge code provided by GitHub.
7. Return to GitHub and click Verify. (DNS changes might take a few minutes).

4. Enforce HTTPS and SSL Settings

GitHub Pages automatically provisions HTTPS certificates for custom domains.

1. Go back to your repository’s Settings > Pages.
2. Check the Enforce HTTPS box. (This might take up to 24 hours to become available after DNS changes).
3. Cloudflare SSL/TLS Settings:
   • If you decide to enable Cloudflare’s Proxy (Orange cloud) later, ensure your SSL/TLS encryption mode in Cloudflare is set to Full or Full (Strict) to avoid redirect loops. Do not use “Flexible”.

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Official References:

• Managing a custom domain for your GitHub Pages site
• Verifying your custom domain for GitHub Pages