How do you avoid PC clutter from all the random software that is needed to run different applications?

Some applications require postgres, some require mysql, some require node, some require Java 7, 8, 9, etc.

Every application requires something different. Everything has to add something to some menu or another. It bothers me to have all the clutter on my computer and at the end I don't even know what is running as a service, and what isn't. After I uninstall the program I don't know if it is properly uninstalled due to all the random files that are left behind. After a while I just format everything and start clean.

So my question is: I go to github, and there is some repo with an application I want to develop/test. But I don't want to clutter my PC with random crap. What are my options? I'm still in college so maybe this is a dumb question. I don't like using virtual machines because they're not exactly fast.

Would Docker be a good use case for this, or is it overkill/not the best option?

Thanks!