Deployment Guide - status.health® Blog

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Edit _config.yml and update these fields:

newsletter_provider: convertkit # or mailchimp, generic
newsletter_form_id: YOUR_FORM_ID # Replace with actual form ID
newsletter_endpoint: https://app.convertkit.com/forms/YOUR_FORM_ID/subscriptions # Update endpoint

2. Configure Analytics (Optional)

Add your tracking IDs to _config.yml:

google_analytics: GA_TRACKING_ID
gtm_id: GTM_ID

3. Verify Domain Configuration

The CNAME file is already set to blog.status.health. If using a different domain:

echo "your-domain.com" > CNAME

Local Testing

Prerequisites

Ruby 2.5 or higher
Bundler gem

Installation Steps

# Install bundler if not already installed
gem install bundler

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Or install to vendor/bundle to avoid permission issues
bundle config set --local path 'vendor/bundle'
bundle install

Run Locally

# Serve with live reload
bundle exec jekyll serve --livereload

# Or just serve
bundle exec jekyll serve

Visit: http://localhost:4000

Build for Production

bundle exec jekyll build

The built site will be in the _site directory.

GitHub Pages Deployment

Method 1: Direct GitHub Pages (Recommended)

Prepare Repository

# Initialize git if not already done
git init
   
# Add all files
git add .
   
# Commit
git commit -m "Initial status.health® blog setup"
   
# Add remote (replace with your repository URL)
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPOSITORY.git
   
# Push to main branch
git push -u origin main

Enable GitHub Pages
- Go to your repository on GitHub
- Navigate to Settings → Pages
- Under “Source”, select “Deploy from a branch”
- Choose “main” branch and “/ (root)” folder
- Click “Save”
Configure Custom Domain
- In the same Pages settings, under “Custom domain”
- Enter blog.status.health
- Click “Save”
- GitHub will create a commit adding the CNAME file if needed

DNS Configuration Configure these DNS records for blog.status.health:

Type: CNAME
Name: blog
Value: YOUR_USERNAME.github.io

Or if using apex domain:

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 185.199.108.153
       185.199.109.153
       185.199.110.153
       185.199.111.153

Method 2: GitHub Actions (Advanced)

Create .github/workflows/jekyll.yml:

name: Deploy Jekyll site to Pages

on:
  push:
    branches: ["main"]
  workflow_dispatch:

permissions:
  contents: read
  pages: write
  id-token: write

concurrency:
  group: "pages"
  cancel-in-progress: false

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.1'
          bundler-cache: true
      - name: Setup Pages
        id: pages
        uses: actions/configure-pages@v5
      - name: Build with Jekyll
        run: bundle exec jekyll build --baseurl "$"
        env:
          JEKYLL_ENV: production
      - name: Upload artifact
        uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3

  deploy:
    environment:
      name: github-pages
      url: $
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs: build
    steps:
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        id: deployment
        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4

Verification Steps

1. Check Build Status

Go to your repository’s Actions tab
Look for green checkmarks on deployments

2. Visit Your Site

GitHub Pages URL: https://YOUR_USERNAME.github.io/YOUR_REPOSITORY/
Custom domain: https://blog.status.health

3. Test Features

Troubleshooting

Build Failures

Check the Actions tab for error messages
Ensure all plugins are GitHub Pages compatible
Verify YAML syntax in _config.yml

404 Errors

Wait 10-20 minutes for initial deployment
Check repository Settings → Pages is enabled
Verify branch and folder settings
Clear browser cache

Custom Domain Issues

Verify DNS propagation (can take up to 48 hours)
Check CNAME file exists and contains correct domain
Enable “Enforce HTTPS” in Pages settings

Update _config.yml with correct provider settings
Verify API keys/form IDs are correct
Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Post-Deployment

1. Enable HTTPS

In Settings → Pages, check “Enforce HTTPS”

2. Monitor Analytics

If configured, check Google Analytics for traffic

Submit a test email to verify integration

4. Create Content

Start publishing blog posts according to the content calendar

Maintenance

Updating Content

# Create new post
touch _posts/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)-post-title.md

# Edit, then commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add new blog post"
git push

Updating Theme/Code

Make changes locally
Test with bundle exec jekyll serve
Commit and push
GitHub Pages will automatically rebuild

Security Notes

Never commit API keys or secrets
Use GitHub Secrets for sensitive data
Keep dependencies updated with bundle update
Review security alerts in GitHub

For support, create an issue in the repository or contact the status.health® team.