A good lightweight distro is Arch since you can customize it to exactly what you need. If you go that way and have trouble with installation, ArchFi can help a little.
But as others have said, what you actually want is docker. All of your concerns with it stem from your lack of experience using it. When your only tool is a hammer, it’s easy to see every problem as a nail.
For what it’s worth I am a developer who is fluent in multiple languages and I definitely agree. Even for things that I could do myself I’ll often ask ChatGPT to do because at worst, it produces something a new hire would do and I’m very used to code review. At best, it introduces me to new tools or ways of doing things. It feels like I’ve got a personal intern now.