I’m just getting into development – so I might be asking dumb questions, but I get too many conflicting answers by just googling.

I’m developing a WordPress plugin which will connect to a core application. The Core application will be written in Python and have a MariaDB. I have a laptop (i7, 16RAM, 1TB – with broken hinges and the case is not available anymore) which I would like to utilise as my dev server. Debian 12 without GUI is already installed. I’m going to use an IDE (PyCharm and VSCode) on my other laptop and deploy to the laptop with Debian server. What I think I need to run:

• My core application
• The MariaDB
• An instance of WordPress where I can test my WP plugin
• And I need to be able to deploy to the server

What setup would be your advice – utilising mostly open-source tools?

E.g.:
Can I run everything on a single machine, or should I use instances?
What stack do you advice to run an instance of WordPress?
Which tools should I use to deploy to the Debian server?

I’m just blocked by the contradictions I find when searching online.