How to track changes in GitHub pages and docs

Why is tracking GitHub Pages and docs so important?

GitHub Pages is a fantastic tool for hosting project documentation, blogs, and marketing sites directly from a repository. However, the constant flow of commits can make it difficult to see what has actually changed on the live, rendered website. Manually checking for updates is inefficient and prone to error. Automated monitoring solves this by providing timely and precise alerts, ensuring you never miss a critical update.

Automating this process helps you:

• Stay informed about team contributions: Get notified instantly when a colleague pushes an update to the documentation.
• Monitor dependencies: Track changes in the documentation of third-party libraries or APIs your project relies on.
• Ensure content accuracy: Quickly spot and revert unintended or incorrect changes on your project's public-facing site.
• Gain a competitive edge: Keep an eye on how competitors update their public documentation or project sites.

The problem with manual change tracking

Relying on git commits or manually refreshing a webpage has its limits. A git log shows you code changes - not how those changes look or read on the final rendered page. A single commit can alter multiple sections, add new pages, or introduce subtle visual bugs. Spotting these by hand is a tedious task that simply doesn't scale.

How to automate GitHub Pages monitoring with monity.ai

You can set up a powerful, automated monitoring system in minutes using monity.ai. It tracks the rendered content of any public URL - including GitHub Pages - and alerts you when a change is detected. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to get you started.

Step 1: Create your free monity.ai account

First things first, sign up for a free account. The free-forever plan provides everything you need to start monitoring your most important projects today.

Step 2: Add your GitHub Pages URL

Once you're in the dashboard, click to create a new task. All you need to do is paste the full URL of the GitHub Pages site or specific documentation page you want to monitor.

Step 3: Choose a monitoring mode

monity.ai offers several modes to track changes precisely. For documentation, two modes are especially useful:

• Text Mode: This mode is perfect for tracking written content. It ignores dynamic elements like ads or shifting images and focuses purely on changes to the text. You'll be notified if a paragraph is updated, a new section is added, or a typo is fixed.
• Visual Mode: If the layout, design, and visual elements are just as important as the text, choose this mode. It takes a pixel-by-pixel screenshot and alerts you to any visual differences, highlighting exactly what changed.

Step 4: Set up your notifications

Choose how you want to be notified. monity.ai integrates seamlessly with the tools your team already uses, including Email, Slack, Discord, and Webhooks for custom integrations. You can receive alerts directly in your project's Slack channel or your personal email.

Go beyond simple alerts with AI-powered smart notifications

This is where monity.ai truly stands out. Instead of just telling you *that* a change occurred, our AI provides a concise summary of *what* changed. You'll get notifications like "A new API endpoint was added to the documentation" or "Installation instructions were updated."

You can also use natural language prompts to create highly specific alerts. Try setting up a task with a prompt like:

• "Notify me when a new version is released in the changelog."
• "Alert me if the 'Getting Started' guide is modified."
• "Let me know if any broken links are found on the page."

This intelligent monitoring saves you from notification fatigue and ensures you only receive alerts about the changes that truly matter to you and your team.

Start tracking your GitHub Pages today

Stop wasting time with manual checks and let automation do the work. By monitoring your GitHub Pages and documentation with monity.ai, you can stay ahead of updates, maintain accuracy, and focus on what you do best - building great software.

Create your free account on monity.ai and set up your first monitor in less than a minute.