What’s the best way to run Linux on an old Android phone?

I have an older Android phone that I'd like to repurpose for a small homelab project. Ideally, I want to control it over SSH, run a simple shell script, and display data pulled from an API. I've seen people install Debian or Arch on phones, but it looks like they often run inside Android through a container or dedicated app. Would something like that be suitable for this use case, or is it practical to completely replace Android and use the phone like a small Linux computer?