Deployment Guide

Deployment Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying the Pulsar Ventures website to GitHub Pages.

Prerequisites

  • GitHub account
  • Git installed on your local machine
  • Ruby (for local development and testing)

Initial Setup

1. Repository Setup

The repository is already configured with:

  • Remote origin: git@github.com:pulsarventures/pv-website.git
  • Main branch: main
  • GitHub Actions workflow for automatic deployment

2. Local Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone git@github.com:pulsarventures/pv-website.git
cd pv-website

# Install Ruby dependencies
bundle install

# Run local server
bundle exec jekyll serve

# Visit http://localhost:4000

Deployment Process

The website automatically deploys when changes are pushed to the main branch.

  1. Make your changes to the codebase
  2. Commit and push to main branch: 
    git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git push origin main
  3. Monitor deployment in GitHub Actions tab
  4. Site will be live in 2-5 minutes at https://pulsarventures.co

Manual Deployment

If you need to deploy manually:

  1. Go to repository Settings → Pages
  2. Source: Deploy from a branch
  3. Branch: gh-pages (created by GitHub Actions)
  4. Save

Custom Domain Configuration

DNS Settings

Configure your domain provider with these records:

A Records:

  • 185.199.108.153
  • 185.199.109.153
  • 185.199.110.153
  • 185.199.111.153

CNAME Record:

  • Point to: pulsarventures.github.io

GitHub Pages Settings

  1. Go to repository Settings → Pages
  2. Custom domain: pulsarventures.co
  3. Check “Enforce HTTPS”
  4. Save

The CNAME file is already included in the repository.

Content Management

Adding New Blog Posts

  1. Create a new file in _posts/ with format: YYYY-MM-DD-title.md
  2. Add front matter: 
    ---
layout: post
title: "Your Post Title"
date: 2024-01-15
author: "Pulsar Ventures"
categories: [category1, category2]
tags: [tag1, tag2]
excerpt: "Brief description of the post"
---
  3. Write your content in Markdown
  4. Commit and push to deploy

Adding New Pages

  1. Create a new file in _pages/ with format: page-name.md
  2. Add front matter: 
    ---
layout: page
title: "Page Title"
permalink: /page-name/
description: "Page description for SEO"
---
  3. Write your content in Markdown
  4. Commit and push to deploy

Updating Navigation

Edit _includes/header.html to add new navigation items.

Configuration

Jekyll Settings (_config.yml)

Key settings to modify:

  • title: Site title
  • description: Site description
  • url: Site URL (https://pulsarventures.co)
  • author: Author information
  • analytics: Google Analytics ID

Custom Domain

  • Domain: pulsarventures.co
  • CNAME file: Already included
  • HTTPS: Automatically enforced by GitHub Pages

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Site not updating after push
    • Check GitHub Actions tab for build status
    • Verify changes are on main branch
    • Wait 2-5 minutes for deployment
  2. Build errors
    • Check GitHub Actions logs
    • Verify Jekyll syntax and front matter
    • Test locally with bundle exec jekyll serve
  3. Custom domain not working
    • Check DNS settings with domain provider
    • Verify CNAME file in repository
    • Check GitHub Pages settings
  4. Local build errors
    • Run bundle update
    • Check Ruby version compatibility
    • Verify all dependencies installed

Getting Help

  • Check GitHub Issues for known problems
  • Review Jekyll documentation
  • Contact the development team

Security Considerations

Environment Variables

  • Never commit API keys or sensitive data
  • Use GitHub Secrets for sensitive configuration
  • Keep dependencies updated

Content Security

  • Validate all user inputs
  • Sanitize HTML content
  • Use HTTPS for all external links

Performance Optimization

Images

  • Optimize images before uploading
  • Use appropriate formats (WebP, JPEG, PNG)
  • Consider lazy loading for large images

Code

  • Minify CSS and JavaScript in production
  • Use CDN for external libraries
  • Optimize Jekyll build process

Monitoring

Analytics

  • Google Analytics: Add tracking ID to _config.yml
  • Monitor page performance and user behavior
  • Track conversion goals

Uptime

  • Monitor site availability
  • Set up alerts for downtime
  • Regular backup of content

Backup Strategy

Content Backup

  • Repository serves as primary backup
  • Regular commits ensure content safety
  • Consider external backup for critical content

Configuration Backup

  • Version control for all configuration files
  • Document custom settings and changes
  • Backup custom domain settings

Future Enhancements

Planned Features

  • Advanced search functionality
  • Newsletter integration
  • Contact form backend
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Content management system

Maintenance Tasks

  • Monthly dependency updates
  • Quarterly security reviews
  • Annual content audits
  • Performance optimization reviews

Last Updated: January 2024
Maintained by: Pulsar Ventures Development Team