5-6 containers simultaneously with other applications?
64gb if you don't want to end up with swap. 32gb is the bare minimum.
Ram on m1 is split between gpu and cpu. 16gb is more like 10gb available to the actual application.
Don't believe in all the hype and misinformation surrounding ram efficiency on m1.
Swap is fast enough for most casual users to not notice the impact but as a developer or creator, you will definitely notice it.