I use Docker and (currently) VMware and host whatever I need for as long (or short) as I need it.
This allows me to keep everything separate and isolated and prevents incompatible stuff interacting with each other. In addition, after I’m done with a test, I can dispose of the experiment without needing to track down spurious files or impacting another project.
I also use this to run desktop software by only giving a container access to the specific files I want it to access.
I’m in the process of moving this to AWS, so I have less hardware in my office whilst gaining more flexibility and accessibility from alternative locations.
The ultimate aim is a minimal laptop with a terminal and a browser to access what I need from wherever I am.
One side effect of this will be the opportunity to make some of my stuff public if I want to without needing to start from scratch, just updating permissions will achieve that.