To the Backend Ninjas out here.
Ive written rest APIs before but know I'm asking myself how I would implement user messaging for my app.?

Use Rest and poll the server?

Use websockets and keep the connection to the server?

Or is there something that I don't know?

Man I'm getting old Everyday there are thousands of new things....

I'd go with rest and websockets.

both hmm never thought of that. Isn't one of them enough?

Use rest for the actual resources & general structure and web sockets, to emit events to the client side, letting it update in "real-time".. :)

Oh Ok makes sense thanks for the tip

No way, starting from scratch is the best way to learn shit. Use a framework if you don't want to learn anything.

@devios1 using a framework isn't necessary going to hinder you from learning the inners of something.

Personally I actually prefer implementing it in a framework and then work my way through how it works under the hood.

If I find it a bit mind-boggling then I'll opt for replicating it from scratch.

This approach gives me the ability to quickly whip up something following documentation or even other projects while giving me the time to dissect it as homework.. :)