Get 16GB RAM for a MacBook Air if you're running Docker.

Yes. 8GB will work, but you’ll hate life.

Docker eats memory for breakfast. A couple of containers plus your editor and browser hit 8GB fast. Then the Mac starts swapping to the SSD, which slows everything down and wears the drive faster.

The Air with 16GB isn’t even that much more expensive. It’s like buying a car with a bigger gas tank - you don’t need it every day, but when you do, you’re glad you have it. Future you deserves not to watch the beachball spin while waiting for a container to build.

If you’re mostly writing Python scripts or static sites, 8GB still cuts it. But Docker changes the equation.