What is multi-tenant database architecture in SaaS?
Multi-tenant architecture is a database design where a single instance of software serves multiple business customers (tenants). It partitions data to ensure that tenant organizations cannot access or view other tenants' records.
Key Takeaways
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01
Database-per-tenant provides maximum security isolation and is suited for enterprise and fintech SaaS.
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02
Shared-database with tenant_id columns is highly resource-efficient but requires strict global query scopes.
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03
ByteLeaps recommends multi-tenancy packages (like tenancy/tenancy for Laravel) to handle setup automatically.
Database Tenancy Comparison
Choosing a tenancy model affects database queries, backups, migration speed, and server hosting costs:
- Separate Databases: Easiest to back up and restore single tenants. Best security boundaries. Higher infrastructure server load.
- Shared Database, Separate Schemas: Intermediate isolation, suited for PostgreSQL schema namespaces.
- Shared Database, Shared Schema: Scoping queries with `where tenant_id = ?`. Low server overhead, scaling to millions of accounts easily.
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