REST API's, Swagger and Azure and SQL

I got your request.

Wow, what a collection of diverse questions. I'm not sure I'm best qualified to answer them all but I'll give it a try.

• Can I get some clarification on what REST API's, have to do with swagger,

As Swagger is a framework of API developer tools, it includes components that can be used to build REST APIs. While it might be useful, it's certainly not the only way to develop REST APIs. I've worked with REST APIs but I have never used Swagger.

• How to actually build an API and how to utilize (or deploy) it with Azure,

This sounds more like the title for a training curriculum than a question that can be answered. There are, in fact, training programs available from various sources, including material from Microsoft itself.

• How to make a REST API work with an SQL database in AZURE

Here's another case where the "answer" would be multiple training courses. But you may be interested in this blog article: Add a REST API to any SQL DB in Minutes.

• How to deploy an API into AZURE

You might like this Treehouse workshop: Publishing an ASP.NET Core Application to Azure. You didn't specifically mention using ASP.NET Core, but some of the material in it might be language-independent.

• Is swagger a programming language, if so it that what I must use to build the API?

It's not a programming language but a description specification. It's implemented using conventional programming languages such as Java. The Swagger Codegen tool info claims that it generates code in over 40 languages. But API's were built before Swagger existed, and certainly many are still created without using it today. You can build API's using most common programming languages.

• Are there any courses on Treehouse that could help me with using Azure?

There is the one workshop I mentioned above, and there are probably courses that would cover common generic concepts.

• I have some understanding that it is possible to build an API in different languages using language specific frameworks (python-flask, Java-JAX-RS), if so does this mean that the code all gets translated into swagger?

No, it's the other way around. Work done in Swagger gets translated into a programming language. And an API built using a different framework (and as you mention, there are many choices) probably has nothing at all to do with Swagger.

• Are REST APIs and API Apps the same thing? If not please explain?

One would generally be a server and the other a client. A REST API is normally a service provided on a host system. An API App would be a program that uses such a service.

• Also what exactly id maven?

I've not used it myself, but it's apparently a software project management tool. There's a page devoted to answering this question in detail on the Maven website.

There's also a Treehouse workshop: Building with Maven.

I'm not sure how useful this information will be if you are "not really in tune with web development", but hopefully, I've covered what you were looking for.