What is Multi-tenancy
Multi-tenancy is an architectural pattern where one application instance serves multiple clients (tenants), with each client's data isolated from others. It's the foundation of most modern SaaS products.
Definition
Multi-tenant architecture reduces operational costs (one infrastructure for all), simplifies updates (rollout to everyone at once), and speeds up new client onboarding (new account in seconds, not weeks). Trade-off: harder to ensure complete data isolation, higher security requirements.
How It Works
Three multi-tenancy models: 1) Shared schema, shared DB — all clients in same tables, isolation via tenant_id (cheapest, medium isolation). 2) Schema-per-tenant — separate schema in one DB per client (medium price, high isolation). 3) Database-per-tenant — separate DB per client (expensive, maximum isolation, fits enterprise).
When to Use
Multi-tenancy fits when: you build a SaaS product for many clients with similar needs, you need fast self-service onboarding, infrastructure cost optimization is critical, and you're ready to invest in security and compliance.
When NOT to Use
Multi-tenancy does not fit when: each client needs unique functionality (this is custom development), regulated industry requires physical data isolation (banking, healthcare), or you have 1-3 large enterprise clients (single-tenant is cheaper).
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