When pushing a React app to GitHub pages, is it required that the default remote branch be `gh-pages`?

Question

As a side project, I am developing a simple local React app, using Create React App. I periodically push my edits online, to GitHub pages, using npm run deploy . As expected, the GitHub repo for this project now has two branches:

master
gh-pages

In this GitHub repo, the default branch is gh-pages .

Does npm run deploy require that the default branch be gh-pages ? Or can I safely change it to master ( screenshot ), without it affecting npm run deploy ? Specifically, I would like to change the default branch to master , and still be able to push my local app to GitHub pages. ¹

The reason I'd like to change the default branch to master is because the master branch is the branch that actually displays the code I wrote, as well as the README file for the GitHub repo. So I'd like to share a link to this repo with collaborators/potential employers, and have my code/README file displayed by default.

• My app on GitHub pages is here: https://cagross.github.io/react-specials/
• The GitHub repo is here: https://github.com/cagross/react-specials

Thanks.

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¹ Whether I continue to do that with npm run deploy or some other command.

Answer 1

https://help.github.com/en/github/working-with-github-pages/about-github-pages#publishing-sources-for-github-pages-sites

The default publishing source for user and organization sites is the master branch. If the repository for your user or organization site has a master branch, your site will publish automatically from that branch. You cannot choose a different publishing source for user or organization sites .

The default publishing source for a project site is the gh-pages branch. If the repository for your project site has a gh-pages branch, your site will publish automatically from that branch.

Project sites can also be published from the master branch or a /docs folder on the master branch.

(Emphasize is mine — phd )

Answer 2

In case anyone else would like an answer to this question, my GitHub issue finally had a reply, and with some possible answers ( see here ). I unfortunately haven't been able to test the suggestions in that post, as I have since moved my app away from GitHub pages. But the answers in that post seem viable enough to try.