Create a new Netlify site via the REST API using a personal access token

Documented steps

1. Generate a personal access token in the Netlify UI: User settings > Applications > Personal access tokens > New access token. Copy it immediately; it is not shown again.
2. POST https://api.netlify.com/api/v1/sites with header 'Authorization: Bearer <TOKEN>' and JSON body, e.g. curl -X POST https://api.netlify.com/api/v1/sites -H 'Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"name":"my-site"}'. The name becomes the <name>.netlify.app subdomain.
3. Read the returned site object and save the 'id' field — this site_id is required for all subsequent deploy and settings calls.
4. Optional: create the site and deploy in one request — POST /api/v1/sites also accepts a ZIP body (Content-Type: application/zip) or a file digest, creating site and first deploy together.
5. Docs: https://docs.netlify.com/api-and-cli-guides/api-guides/get-started-with-api/