Add docs for Basic and Full mode details

README.md

@@ -137,6 +137,9 @@ My suggestion is that you find a scenario that is most-like your situation and t
 
 If you don't know an address in the wallet that you are searching for, you can create and use an [Address Database (click here for guide)](docs/Creating_and_Using_AddressDB.md) _There is no real performance penalty for doing this, it just takes a bit more work to set up_.
 
+For more details on the differences between basic and full requirements, see the [Basic v.s. Full installation mode](docs/Basic_vs_Full_mode.md).
+
+
 ## Quick Start ##
 
 To try recovering your password or a BIP39 passphrase, please start with the **[Password Recovery Quick Start](docs/TUTORIAL.md#btcrecover-tutorial)**.

docs/Basic_vs_Full_mode.md

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+# Requirements Reference
+
+BTCRecover offers two installation options depending on which wallet types you need to recover.
+
+## Quick Comparison
+
+| Feature | Basic (`requirements.txt`) | Full (`requirements-full.txt`) |
+|---------|---------------------------|-------------------------------|
+| Image size | ~500MB | ~1.2GB |
+| Build time | Fast | Slower (more packages to compile) |
+| Bitcoin wallets | Yes | Yes |
+| Ethereum wallets | Yes | Yes |
+| Altcoin wallets | Limited | Full support |
+
+## Basic Requirements
+
+**Install with:** `pip3 install -r requirements.txt`
+
+**Packages included:**
+- `coincurve` - Elliptic curve cryptography for Bitcoin/Ethereum
+- `protobuf` - Google Protocol Buffers (required for some wallet formats)
+- `pycryptodome` - Cryptographic primitives (20x speed boost for many wallets)
+
+**Supported wallet types:**
+- Bitcoin Core
+- Electrum (all versions)
+- BIP-39 seed phrases (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most BIP-39 compatible wallets)
+- Blockchain.info
+- MultiBit Classic/HD
+- mSIGNA (CoinVault)
+- Hive for OS X
+- Bitcoin Wallet for Android/BlackBerry
+- KnC Wallet for Android
+- Bither
+- Litecoin-Qt, Electrum-LTC, Litecoin Wallet for Android
+- Dogecoin Core, MultiDoge, Dogecoin Wallet for Android
+
+This covers the vast majority of recovery scenarios for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and their direct clones.
+
+## Full Requirements
+
+**Install with:** `pip3 install -r requirements-full.txt`
+
+**Additional packages included:**
+| Package | Purpose |
+|---------|---------|
+| `py_crypto_hd_wallet` | Multi-chain HD wallet support |
+| `shamir-mnemonic` | SLIP39 Shamir secret sharing |
+| `eth-keyfile` | Ethereum keystore file support |
+| `staking-deposit` | Eth2 validator seed recovery |
+| `pynacl` + `bitstring` | Helium wallet support |
+| `groestlcoin_hash` | Groestlcoin support |
+| `wallycore` | Optimized scrypt (20% faster BIP38) |
+| `pylibscrypt` | Scrypt fallback |
+| `ecdsa` | BIP38 encrypted private keys |
+| `stellar_sdk` | Stellar wallet support |
+| And many more... | Various chain-specific support |
+
+**Additional wallet types supported:**
+
+| Blockchain | Wallet Types |
+|------------|--------------|
+| **SLIP39** | Any wallet using Shamir's Secret Sharing |
+| **Avalanche** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Cosmos (Atom)** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Polkadot** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Secret Network** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Solana** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Stellar** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Tezos** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Tron** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Helium** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Groestlcoin** | BIP39 wallets |
+| **Ethereum 2.0** | Validator seed recovery |
+| **BIP38** | Encrypted private keys |
+
+## Which Should I Use?
+
+**Use Basic if:**
+- You're recovering a Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin wallet
+- You're working with standard BIP-39 seed phrases for common cryptocurrencies
+- You want faster installation and smaller disk usage
+- You're running in a resource-constrained environment
+
+**Use Full if:**
+- You need to recover wallets for Solana, Polkadot, Cosmos, or other altcoins listed above
+- You're working with SLIP39 (Shamir) seed phrases
+- You need Eth2 validator seed recovery
+- You're working with BIP38 encrypted private keys
+- You're unsure which wallet type you have
+
+## Docker Usage
+
+When using Docker, you can choose between variants:
+
+```bash
+# Basic version
+docker compose run --rm btcrecover python btcrecover.py --help
+
+# Full version
+docker compose run --rm btcrecover-full python btcrecover.py --help
+```
+
+Or build directly with the `REQUIREMENTS` build argument:
+
+```bash
+# Basic (default)
+docker build -t btcrecover .
+
+# Full
+docker build --build-arg REQUIREMENTS=full -t btcrecover:full .
+```
+
+## Performance Notes
+
+- **PyCryptoDome** (included in both): Provides up to 20x speed improvement for wallets that support it
+- **wallycore** (full only): Provides ~20% faster scrypt operations for BIP38 and similar formats
+- **RIPEMD160**: Both Docker images have OpenSSL configured to use native RIPEMD160 for optimal performance