I have a 2GB Pi that runs all my home automation docker images (Home Automation Docker Containers (Node-red, Hubconnect, Homebridge, Apache, Alexa Cookie)). The beauty for me is that if something requires an old version of python, it'll always work, even if I move the image to a newer Pi, and if I change OS's, I can just run the commands to re-build my container and use the data files.
Much like @erktrek I use rpi-clone to keep those Pi's from crapping out. I've had one too many SD cards die. I wrote about this last year if you want more info on backing up your PI or using an external SSD (or thumb drive) on a Pi: Proactively Preventing SD Failure on a Raspberry Pi. I’ve relied on backups several time since and it just works. One of my pi’s lives outdoors in my generator and I’ve been through multiple SD’s but I’ve not had to do any reconfiguring. It’s also a good safety net if you upgrade something and it breaks - just swap cards and restore.
