If you juggle multiple stacks or side projects like I do, your local environment probably becomes a mess quickly. Different PHP versions, Node conflicts, MySQL hogging RAM 24/7 even when you're not using it... Sound familiar?
That's why I run almost everything in Docker, even on my development machine.
Think of Docker as your clean workspace. You spin up what you need only when you need it. Working on a Laravel + MySQL project? Start the container. Done? Shut it down. Need Redis for a quick queue test? Pull the image and you're good in seconds.
No global installs.
No leftover ports.
No "wait, what version of Node is this project on?"
For me, the biggest win is isolation. Every project gets its own stack, environment variables, and configurations—no collisions. I can switch from a PHP 8.2 app to a Node 18 service and a Python FastAPI backend without touching my base system.
And cleanup is easy. You can remove volumes, reset containers, and rebuild a docker-compose.yml without worrying about breaking your machine. Your dev environment becomes disposable—but in a good way.
One more underrated benefit? Consistency across teams. The same Docker setup that works on my machine will work on prod or on someone else’s laptop. No more “works on my machine” bugs.
So yes, Docker takes a bit to learn. But once it clicks, your local dev flow will never be the same again. Especially if you’re the kind of dev who likes to build fast, break stuff, and jump between projects without friction.