If the MCU and 'host' can be the same SBC, you might look at the Raspberry PI 4 and, ideally, one of the starter kits. The PI acts as an MCU in terms of wiggling pins and working mechanical things but it also runs Linux which provides a high level interface with code written in high level languages like Python, C or even Java.
There's quite an education in these kits and all code is provided
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=raspbrerry+pi+starter+kitThe Raspberry Pi 4B is extra (I would go for the 8GB variant). You need a monitor (HDMI), keyboard, mouse (USB) and microSD card (128 GB).
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=raspberry+pi+4+8gbYou could also consider the Pi 400
This setup allows very high level control of the IO pins. You could set up the Pi with a Berkeley server socket and control the Pi from anywhere on Earth. You might need a hole through your firewall for a specific IP address in order to reach the Pi from beyond the LAN. But it's doable...