Migration Guide - Replace Existing GitHub Pages Site

Current Situation ✅ Understood

• Existing repo: dheerajn.github.io (contains besafe.json)
• Separate repo: Plainly (privacy page at /Plainly/privacy/)
• Goal: Replace main site with new personal website, keep Plainly working

What Will Happen

After migration:

• ✅ dheerajn.github.io → Your new personal website
• ✅ dheerajn.github.io/Plainly/privacy/ → Still works! (separate repo, untouched)
• ✅ besafe.json → Preserved in new site

Your app’s privacy page will NOT break - it’s hosted from a different repository.

Migration Steps

Option 1: Clean Migration (Recommended)

This replaces the repository completely while preserving the history.

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# 1. Navigate to your new site
cd ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io

# 2. Connect to your existing GitHub repository
git remote add origin https://github.com/dheerajn/dheerajn.github.io.git

# 3. Fetch existing repo (to preserve any history)
git fetch origin

# 4. Force push your new content
# This replaces everything but keeps the repository
git push -u origin main --force

Option 2: Manual Migration (If you prefer)

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# 1. Clone your existing repo
cd ~/Desktop
git clone https://github.com/dheerajn/dheerajn.github.io.git dheerajn-existing

# 2. Remove old content (keep .git folder)
cd dheerajn-existing
rm -rf * .*  # Don't worry, .git is hidden and won't be deleted
ls -la      # You should see .git directory

# 3. Copy new site content
cp -r ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io/* .
cp ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io/.gitignore .
cp ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io/.github .

# 4. Commit and push
git add .
git commit -m "Replace with new personal website"
git push

Verify After Migration

After pushing, check:

1. GitHub Actions: Go to Actions tab - should see build running
2. Wait 2-3 minutes for deployment
3. Test URLs:
   • https://dheerajn.github.io → Your new personal site ✅
   • https://dheerajn.github.io/Plainly/privacy/ → Still works ✅
   • https://dheerajn.github.io/besafe.json → Still accessible ✅

Configure GitHub Pages (If Needed)

If the site doesn’t deploy automatically:

1. Go to repository Settings → Pages
2. Under Source, select GitHub Actions
3. Save and wait for deployment

Rollback (If Needed)

If something goes wrong, you have a backup:

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# Your old site is backed up at:
cd ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io-backup

# To restore it:
cd ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io-backup
git push origin main --force

Next Steps After Migration

1. Update your info:
   • Edit _data/social.yml with your LinkedIn/Twitter
   • Edit pages/about.md with your bio
   • Add profile picture to assets/images/profile.jpg
2. Test the site:
   • Visit https://dheerajn.github.io
   • Check navigation works
   • Verify Plainly privacy page still works
3. Start writing:
   • Add blog posts to _posts/
   • Add TIL entries to _til/
   • Add projects to _projects/

FAQ

Q: Will my app’s privacy page break? A: No! It’s in a separate repository (Plainly), so it’s completely independent.

Q: What happens to besafe.json? A: It’s preserved in the new site at /besafe.json.

Q: Can I undo this? A: Yes! You have a backup at ~/Desktop/dheerajn.github.io-backup/

Q: How long does deployment take? A: Usually 2-3 minutes after pushing to GitHub.

Q: Do I need to update my app? A: No! The privacy page URL stays exactly the same.

Ready to Migrate?

I recommend Option 1 (Clean Migration) - it’s simpler and faster.

Just run those 4 commands and your new site will be live!

Need help? Let me know if anything doesn’t work as expected.