My basil gets huge in containers.

If allowed to self seed many people I know complain about basil being especially invasive in a garden, problem solved with containers, if considered a problem. Some people have especially heavy soil that basil does not like as well- another benefit with containers. A container of basil could also be brought in for the winter for winter harvesting, as I did last year. Many, many benefits, but it's not everybody's cup of tea :-)

My basil gets huge in the ground. I have a row of three foot plants that I've been hacking down and drying all summer. Of course, my basil is VERY warm. It depends where you are, I guess.

Since you need to keep basil from flowering, in order to preserve flavor, there isn't much likelihood that it will self seed. It it's flowering, best to just rip it out.

I have a lot of different basils in pots: a few variegated, purple, gecofure, minette, and "regular" (ha). One thing I have noticed is that the minette basil seems to do better for me in-ground than in pots. See photo below. It's rather unhappy but the ones I have in-ground are lovely typical lush globes. Mystery! But the other basils are just fine. I top them off to make them lusher, although the variegated (there by the yellow corner column) has a doggedy upright habit.

FWIW I let some of my basil flower on purpose because the bees love it and I use it to attract pollinators. At the rail there behind the flowering basil is a patio eggplant variety (Ophelia) that has 7 or 8 fruits on it right now. I think it helps; can't hurt anyway! :)