Deployment and DNS cutover

The site auto-deploys: every push to main triggers .github/workflows/publish.yml, which renders with Quarto and publishes to GitHub Pages. No manual build step.

Preview URL (before custom domain): https://pat-testa.github.io/website/

Pointing patrickatesta.com at GitHub Pages

Do this only after the preview URL looks correct. Wix keeps serving the old site until DNS propagates, so there is no downtime window.

1. Add DNS records at Wix

In the Wix domain DNS panel, for patrickatesta.com:

Four A records on the root/apex (@), all pointing at GitHub Pages:

185.199.108.153
185.199.109.153
185.199.110.153
185.199.111.153

Four AAAA records on @, for IPv6:

2606:50c0:8000::153
2606:50c0:8001::153
2606:50c0:8002::153
2606:50c0:8003::153

One CNAME record for www:

pat-testa.github.io

Note the CNAME target is the bare github.io host — it does not include the repository name.

Delete any existing A or CNAME records for @ and www that point at Wix, otherwise they conflict.

These values were checked against GitHub’s documentation on 2026-08-02: https://docs.github.com/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site

2. Re-enable the CNAME file in this repo

git mv CNAME.pending CNAME

Then uncomment the - CNAME line under project: resources: in _quarto.yml, commit, and push. This tells GitHub Pages the site’s canonical hostname.

3. Set the custom domain in repo settings

https://github.com/pat-testa/website/settings/pages → Custom domain → patrickatesta.com → Save. Then tick Enforce HTTPS once the certificate finishes provisioning (usually well under an hour; the checkbox is greyed out until it is ready).

4. Verify before cancelling Wix

Only then cancel the Wix plan.

Domain registration and transfer

patrickatesta.com is bundled with the Wix Premium plan, so it must be transferred out before that plan lapses or it can be forfeited.

Registration facts (RDAP, checked 2026-08-02):

Registrar of record Network Solutions, LLC (Wix resells through them)
Registered 2017-10-14
Expires 2026-10-14
Status clientTransferProhibited (locked)
Nameservers NS0.WIXDNS.NET, NS1.WIXDNS.NET

Deadline: initiate the transfer by mid-September 2026. Transfers take about 5–7 days and registrars refuse them close to expiry. An ICANN gTLD transfer includes a mandatory 1-year renewal, so ~$10–15 to the new registrar pushes the expiry to October 2027 — you are not paying twice for the same year.

Transferring does not disturb the live site: the nameservers stay on WIXDNS throughout, so Wix keeps serving until DNS is repointed deliberately.

Order of operations

  1. Unlock at Wix and request the EPP/auth code (lifts clientTransferProhibited). Disable WHOIS privacy if it blocks the code.
  2. Initiate the transfer at the new registrar using that code. Wait for it to complete. Site unaffected throughout.
  3. Repoint DNS at the new registrar per the section above. This is the moment the site cuts over from Wix to GitHub Pages.
  4. Verify using the checklist above.
  5. Turn off Wix auto-renew so the plan is not billed again on 2026-10-14.

Chosen registrar: Porkbun (Namecheap equivalent). Deliberately not Cloudflare Registrar — Cloudflare requires nameservers to move to them before it will accept a registration transfer, which forces the DNS cutover to happen first. Porkbun keeps the two steps independent: registration moves while nameservers stay on Wix, so the live site is untouched until step 3.

During the transfer, do not change nameservers and do not cancel the Wix plan. Either can cause the transfer to fail.

The auth/EPP code is a credential — it goes into the registrar’s transfer form and nowhere else.