What macs can you move the os to a different ssd?

So I have a 1 TB SSD I bought for another (windows) computer to mount on it. Unfortunately that computer got hit with a surge and died. 😭.

If a different sub-Reddit would be a better place to ask, please point me there. But I was wondering if there’s a list anywhere of which Mac’s you could like, hook up an ssd, and then restore onto the ssd? I’m not sure of the exact terminology.

I was thinking maybe, just maybe, I could find an M1 16gb ram Mac of some sort, even if it’s only 256 gb, and then move the actual OS to the bigger SSD.

I’m really wanting to use Xcode and everyone tells me it needs to be on the same drive as the OS, and you need a minimum of 512gb. And it’s just so hard to find 16gb ram and 512+gb storage together, at a price I can afford.