Welcome!
Some of the suggestions on here are awesome, so I won't add too much to the pile.
I'd recommend starting where you feel most comfortable:
Frontend: WebLN: https://webln.guide (JS)
If you're comfortable with Rust (or open to trying) and are looking for longer-term upskilling, BDK and LDK are awesome.
Thanks for sharing, especially the WebLN resource! Can this open up mobile apps such as BlueWallet (supports WebLN) for payment completion? If I can avoid needing to sync/run a full node while getting started that would be ideal haha.
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Correct! The main benefit is that you can create a web/mobile application which makes use of Lightning invoices but delegate the tx infrastructure (signing, route finding etc) off to a service provider (e.g Bluewallet).
If you're looking to push further into the mobile world, but would like full node capabilities, BDK and LDK both support Compact Filters (https://docs.rs/bdk/latest/bdk/blockchain/compact_filters/index.html) to implement BIP157. That means you don't need to download the full chain but also don't have to compromise on validity.
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