The Stack
You don't have to either. Here's the exact stack I used — all free — to get this portfolio live on a custom domain.
Tools I used
How it works
Sign up for the GitHub Student Pack and grab a free domain on name.com. Takes about 5 minutes if you have a student email.
Write your HTML/CSS or vibe-code it with Claude or Codex (also free with the student pack). Just a static folder is all you need — no frameworks, no build step required.
Go to Cloudflare Pages, upload your files (index.html etc) or connect your GitHub repo, and it's live in under a minute — on Cloudflare's global CDN.
Add your domain to Cloudflare DNS and bind it to your Pages project. SSL is automatic. YouTube has clear 15-minute tutorials that walk through the whole thing — just search "Cloudflare Pages custom domain" and follow along.
The GitHub Student Developer Pack covers your domain on name.com for a year, plus Claude Pro and Codex access. All it takes is a valid student email to verify.
Stuck somewhere?
Any questions or issues — just send a message.