docs: add lite image references across all documentation

README Quick Start now shows both :latest and :lite commands.
Getting Started adds a tip callout about the lite image.
Deployment page lists both variants with a comparison table and
updates the CI/CD description to mention both are built.
Developer guide adds the lite build command.

README.md

@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@
 docker run -d -p 1349:1349 -v stirling-data:/data stirlingimage/stirling-image:latest
 ```
 
+Don't need AI tools? The lite image is 1.5 GB instead of 11 GB:
+
+```bash
+docker run -d -p 1349:1349 -v stirling-data:/data stirlingimage/stirling-image:lite
+```
+
 Open http://localhost:1349 in your browser.
 
 **Default credentials:**
@@ -50,7 +56,7 @@ Open http://localhost:1349 in your browser.
 
 You will be asked to change your password on first login. This is enforced for all new accounts and cannot be skipped in production.
 
-For Docker Compose, persistent storage, and other setup options, see the [Getting Started Guide](https://stirling-image.github.io/stirling-image/guide/getting-started).
+For Docker Compose, persistent storage, and other setup options, see the [Getting Started Guide](https://stirling-image.github.io/stirling-image/guide/getting-started). For details on the full vs lite image, see [Docker Tags](https://stirling-image.github.io/stirling-image/guide/docker-tags).
 
 ## Documentation
 

apps/docs/guide/deployment.md

@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 # Deployment
 
-Stirling Image ships as a single Docker container. The frontend, API, and Python AI runtime all run inside one image. The image supports **linux/amd64** and **linux/arm64**, so it runs natively on Intel/AMD servers, Apple Silicon Macs, and ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi 4/5.
+Stirling Image ships as a single Docker container. The image supports **linux/amd64** and **linux/arm64**, so it runs natively on Intel/AMD servers, Apple Silicon Macs, and ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi 4/5.
+
+Two variants are available:
+
+| Variant | Tag | Size | What's included |
+|---------|-----|------|-----------------|
+| Full | `:latest` | ~11 GB | All tools + AI/ML (background removal, upscaling, OCR, face blur, object eraser) |
+| Lite | `:lite` | ~1.5 GB | All image processing tools, no AI/ML |
+
+See [Docker Tags](./docker-tags) for the full comparison, Docker Compose examples, and version pinning.
 
 ## Docker Compose (recommended)
 
@@ -57,7 +66,7 @@ Everything runs from a single process. The Fastify server handles API requests a
 - LaMa Cleaner (inpainting/object removal)
 - onnxruntime, opencv-python, Pillow, numpy
 
-Model weights are downloaded at build time, so the container works fully offline.
+Model weights are downloaded at build time, so the container works fully offline. The lite image (`:lite`) skips all Python packages and model downloads.
 
 ### Architecture notes
 
@@ -110,7 +119,7 @@ Set `client_max_body_size` to match your `MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB` value.
 
 The GitHub repository has two workflows:
 
-- **release.yml** -- On release, builds multi-arch Docker images (amd64 + arm64) and pushes to both Docker Hub (`stirlingimage/stirling-image`) and GitHub Container Registry (`ghcr.io/stirling-image/stirling-image`).
+- **release.yml** -- On release, builds multi-arch Docker images (amd64 + arm64) for both the full and lite variants, and pushes to Docker Hub (`stirlingimage/stirling-image`) and GitHub Container Registry (`ghcr.io/stirling-image/stirling-image`).
 - **deploy-docs.yml** -- Builds this documentation site and deploys it to GitHub Pages.
 
 Both run automatically. No manual steps needed after merging to `main`.

apps/docs/guide/developer.md

@@ -198,6 +198,12 @@ Build the full production image locally:
 docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t stirling-image:latest .
 ```
 
+Build the lite image (no Python/AI, ~1.5 GB):
+
+```bash
+docker build --build-arg VARIANT=lite -f docker/Dockerfile -t stirling-image:lite .
+```
+
 Use BuildKit cache mounts for faster rebuilds:
 
 ```bash

apps/docs/guide/getting-started.md

@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@ docker run -d \
 
 Open `http://localhost:1349` in your browser. Log in with `admin` / `admin`.
 
+::: tip Lite image
+Don't need AI tools (background removal, upscaling, OCR, face blur, object eraser)? Use the lite image instead - 1.5 GB vs 11 GB:
+
+```bash
+stirlingimage/stirling-image:lite
+```
+
+All 27+ image processing tools work the same. See [Docker Tags](./docker-tags) for the full comparison.
+:::
+
 ## Run with Docker Compose
 
 Create a `docker-compose.yml`: