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From Zero to Live - Setup Part 1

· 4 min read
Raghvendra Saralaya
Raghvendra Saralaya
Software Engineer, Founder of Fluxainē Studios
Setting Up Fluxainē Studios on GitHub Pages with Docusaurus​

This post documents the complete, correct setup of the Fluxainē Studios website — from an empty GitHub repository to a fully deployed, production-ready site using Docusaurus, TypeScript, and GitHub Actions, hosted on GitHub Pages.

The goal was to create a stable, long-term foundation for publishing blogs, research, and documentation — without unnecessary services, lock-in, or hidden complexity.

Goals​

Before writing a single line of code, the constraints were clear:

  • Static-first architecture
  • Git as the single source of truth
  • Clean publishing pipeline
  • Long-term maintainability
  • No CMS dependencies required at launch
  • Hosted at https://fluxaine-studios.github.io

Phase 1 — Repository Setup​

1. Create the GitHub Pages repository​

Create a repository named:

fluxaine-studios.github.io

This naming convention enables GitHub Pages organization root hosting, meaning the site will live directly at:

https://fluxaine-studios.github.io

Clone the repository locally.

Phase 2 — Scaffold Docusaurus (TypeScript)​

2. Generate the Docusaurus site​

From inside the repository directory:

npx create-docusaurus@latest website classic --typescript

This scaffolds a full Docusaurus project using:

  • the classic preset
  • TypeScript
  • modern defaults

At this stage, the site lives in a website/ subdirectory.

3. Move Docusaurus to the repository root​

To keep the repository clean and conventional, move the scaffolded files up one level:

mv website/* website/.* . 2>/dev/null
rmdir website

The repository root now contains:

docusaurus.config.ts
package.json
src/
static/
sidebars.ts

4. Verify local development​

Install dependencies and start the dev server:

npm install
npm run start

Confirm the site runs locally at:

http://localhost:3000

At this point, the local development environment is fully functional.

Phase 3 — Configure Site Metadata​

5. Update Docusaurus configuration​

Edit docusaurus.config.ts to reflect the real site identity:

title: 'Fluxainē Studios',
url: 'https://fluxaine-studios.github.io',
baseUrl: '/',
organizationName: 'fluxaine-studios',
projectName: 'fluxaine-studios.github.io',
deploymentBranch: 'gh-pages',

Because this is an organization root site, baseUrl remains /.

6. Commit the baseline​

This is the first stable checkpoint:

git add .
git commit -m "chore: initial Docusaurus site scaffold (TypeScript)"

Phase 4 — GitHub Actions Deployment​

To deploy automatically on every push to main, a GitHub Actions workflow is added.

7. Create the deployment workflow​

Create:

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

name: Deploy to GitHub Pages

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write

    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: npm

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build website
        run: npm run build

      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          publish_dir: ./build

Key decisions:

  • Node 20 is used to meet modern Docusaurus requirements
  • Deployment targets the gh-pages branch
  • No manual secrets are required

8. Push and deploy​

Commit and push:

git add .github
git commit -m "ci: deploy Docusaurus site to GitHub Pages"
git push origin main

GitHub Actions will:

  1. Build the site
  2. Create the gh-pages branch
  3. Publish the static output

Phase 5 — Enable GitHub Pages​

Once the first deployment completes:

  1. Go to Repository Settings → Pages
  2. Set:
    • Source: Deploy from a branch
    • Branch: gh-pages
    • Folder: / (root)
  3. Save

Within minutes, the site becomes publicly accessible at:


A clean Docusaurus + TypeScript codebase
Automated CI/CD via GitHub Actions
GitHub Pages hosting with zero vendor lock-in
A foundation ready for blogs, research, and long-form writing
No CMS, no auth proxies, no hidden services — just a clear, durable publishing system.
What Comes Next
With the infrastructure complete, future work can focus on:
Content architecture (blogs, research, essays)
Editorial conventions
Preview builds for pull requests
Long-term studio publishing workflows
All without revisiting deployment complexity.https://fluxaine-studios.github.io

Final Result​

At the end of Phase 5, Fluxainē Studios has:

  • A live, production-ready website
  • A clean Docusaurus + TypeScript codebase
  • Automated CI/CD via GitHub Actions
  • GitHub Pages hosting with zero vendor lock-in
  • A foundation ready for blogs, research, and long-form writing

No CMS, no auth proxies, no hidden services — just a clear, durable publishing system.

What Comes Next​

With the infrastructure complete, future work can focus on:

  • Content architecture (blogs, research, essays)
  • Editorial conventions
  • Preview builds for pull requests
  • Long-term studio publishing workflows

All without revisiting deployment complexity.