Yep, as outlined by bucketnative, plus another somewhat long winded reply by me. But like you I also had to start somewhere and needed all the help I could get over the years to convert my first attempts into something worthwhile so this is what I have learned from others and from my own mistakes.
More recently I have carried out the primary fermentation in an open container covered with a cloth to keep out any nasties (and it makes it easy to keep an eye on what is happening without an airlock filling up with gunk), then transfer to a secondary container with air lock for as long as you like, once the primary turbulent fermentation phase has finished. This transfer is usually done after several weeks when the robust foam has gone away and SG has fallen from OG 1.050 or so, to something like 1.020 or lower. This approach is simply based on assorted good advice from other members of this forum, But I find it works well for me.
My "go-to" yeasts have been WLP775 and SO4 after trying several others. Both seem to charge through primary faster than I would prefer even though fermentation is at about 18C (65F) in my cool store. Closer to winter the temperature can get somewhat lower.
The mantra seems to be low (temperature) and slow (time) for fermentation. Jolicoeur talks in terms of months, but our climate in Autumn (Fall) isn't cold enough for this.
As far as sweetness is concerned, I have made a few batches with 10-20% pears added and the non fermentable sorbitol in the pears (4X as much as apples) does seem to impart a slight sweetness even when fermented down to 1.000. I understand that residual sweetness from apples drops away rapidly after 1.005 as the sugars are just about completely consumed at 1.000, hence the difficulty of making sweet carbonated cider "naturally". Be aware that adding Xylitol works well but it is toxic to dogs so it is worthwhile looking at other non-fermentable sweeteners as well, although some of them have a reputation for leaving a "funny" taste.
I also recently tried "stovetop pasteurising" with some success (read the sticky at the top of the forum). This involved bottling at 1.007 or so then pasteurising at 2atm (which was about 1.003). Low temp (65C/149F) and 10 minutes seems to be the current magic combination for effective pasteurisation. Jim Rausch's "cooler pasteurisation" method of 175F for 10 minutes is similar. A more "scientific" approach in Bembel's post of 11 May 2016 gives a very good rundown on how to use PUs (pasteurisation units) to achieve the desired target of 30-50 PUs by the appropriate combination of temperature and time.
Sorry if all this stuff about specific gravity seems a bit confusing at first.My "engineering brain" likes to be in control of the process, so even though there are some "rules of thumb" that work, as I was once taught... "if you can't measure it, it ain't real"! A hydrometer to measure SG will be your best friend because it lets you know what is going on so that you can do the right things at the right time.
Have fun.
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