How to correctly set up a local development environment?

Question

macOS

A new macbook pro is coming to me the other day, and I decided it was time to think about how the local development environment would be organized. As a beginner, I usually installed all the necessary packages (node.js, postgresql, etc.) in the standard way for the ubuntu user using the apt command, thereby "littering" the OS when it became necessary to try different versions of the same node.js . In macOS, as far as I understand, there is a kind of third-party analogue of apt - homebrew, which, roughly speaking, works in a similar way and does not eliminate the "clutter" problem, since you have to keep a zoo of different versions in the system.
My many efforts to figure out how to make my workspace better and "safer" for the OS led me to two discoveries: vagrant and docker. True, I have not yet been able to get rid of the confusion in my head, so I ask senior colleagues to help me understand when and what to use from this, and whether I am on the right track.

Answer 1

node then why in docker ? If you really want to use different versions, you can use nvm . If you work primarily with JavaScript , then node is, IMHO, much more convenient to use if it is installed on the system.
It is worth mentioning that if you are working in a project with a specific version of node and docker containers, then, of course, docker has the right place for it.

Answer 2

Indeed, the best option would be docker, taking into account your requirements, which, as for me, xs what they require. Do you need an environment for the front or for the back?