Recently, a close friend requested that I create a website for their small business. I accepted the task as it would allow me to learn something new. Due to my budget being limited to only 1 currency unit, I needed to find a free hosting plan. After Googling various services and finding out that many of them would eventually require payment, I looked for simpler options. Previously, websites could be hosted on Dropbox or Google Drive, but those alternatives have also been discontinued. Eventually, I discovered that Github provides a solution for hosting websites in public repositories. To help others with this process, I decided to write a simple guide.

Here are the steps:
First, register on Github and create a repository with the name formatted as $username.github.io. For example, in my case, it is boopicker.github.io.
Next, open the repository settings and select "Launch Automatic Page Generator". Follow the prompts and publish your page. Your site will now be hosted at http://boopicker.github.io/.
The site files can be edited, deleted and added, and all necessary files and folders will be created in the repository. However, keep in mind that the content of the site is updated about every 10 minutes.
To register a domain name, navigate to the "zone management" menu on any domain trading platform and add two A records with addresses - 192.30.252.152 and 192.30.252.151, and one CNAME record with the subdomain "www" and the value "$username.github.io." (don't forget the period at the end). Finally, create a CNAME file with your domain inside in the root folder of the repository.
However, note that Cyrillic domains may need to be translated for the site to function properly. Unfortunately, this may cause issues in search engine rankings, which may impact the website's visibility.

Hosting a website on a site like Stopcomar is simple, as only a maximum of 55-260 people visit the site per day. However, promoting the site can be interesting if it manages to secure one of the first four positions in direct requests. On the downside, hosting the website on an old computer or Arduino in a closet is not free, and dynamic IP at the provider may not be ideal.

In modern web projects, the entire JavaScript code exists as a single file, which is typically less than 3MB in size. Despite this being a relatively large file, enabling gzip compression at the web server level can compress it by 60-75%, resulting in a much smaller output. Even on mobile internet, this file can be downloaded within seconds. Navigation on React Router involves regular <a.../> tags that allow users to click and move between pages like on a regular website. These transitions are recorded in the browser history, and there are no issues with arrow transitions. It's important to note that by SPA (Single Page Application), I mean a full-fledged JS site rather than just some landing page with hash links.

The issue of checkboxes is indeed common, but React allows regular forms that function without JS. Although this may result in the loss of certain states, it won't interfere with submitting form data in the classic way. In summary, although these issues are common mistakes, they can all be resolved with proper techniques that are available today.

Creating a website for a small business on a limited budget can be challenging, but using Github for hosting can be a great solution. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

1. Register on Github: Go to Github.com and create an account if you don't already have one. It's free to sign up.

2. Create a Repository: Once you're logged in, create a new repository by clicking on the "New" button. Name the repository as "$username.github.io", replacing "$username" with your Github username. For example, if your username is "boopicker", name the repository "boopicker.github.io". Make sure the repository is public.

3. Launch Automatic Page Generator: After creating the repository, go to its settings by clicking on the "Settings" tab. Scroll down until you see the "GitHub Pages" section. Click on the "Launch Automatic Page Generator" button. This will guide you through the process of creating and publishing your website.

4. Customize and Publish: Follow the prompts provided by the Automatic Page Generator to customize the design and content of your website. Once you are satisfied, publish the page. Your website will now be hosted at http://boopicker.github.io/ (replace "boopicker" with your own username).

5. Edit and Manage Files: To make changes to your website, simply edit, delete or add files in the repository. All necessary files and folders will be created automatically. However, keep in mind that it may take up to 10 minutes for the content to be updated on the website.

6. Register a Domain Name: If you want to use a custom domain name for your website, navigate to a domain trading platform with "zone management" capabilities. Add two A records with the IP addresses - 192.30.252.152 and 192.30.252.151, and one CNAME record with the subdomain "www" and the value "$username.github.io." (don't forget the period at the end). Also, create a CNAME file with your domain inside in the root folder of the repository.

7. Considerations for Cyrillic Domains: If you're using a Cyrillic domain, you may need to translate it for the website to function properly. However, note that this translation can potentially impact search engine rankings and visibility, so be mindful of this trade-off.

By following these steps, you'll be able to create and host a website for your friend's small business on Github, even if you have a limited budget.