My Step-by-Step Guide to Multi-Tenant SaaS in Laravel

Building a SaaS app can feel overwhelming—especially if you want each client to have their own isolated data. As a full-stack developer, I’ve faced this challenge head-on. In this post, I’ll walk you through my approach to building multi-tenant SaaS applications in Laravel, step by step, so you can avoid common pitfalls and get started faster.

Step 1: Choosing the Right Multi-Tenancy Approach

There are two main strategies:

1. Single Database, Tenant-Specific Tables—simpler to maintain but less isolation.
2. Separate Databases per Tenant—more secure and isolated, but slightly more complex.

In my projects, I prefer separate databases per tenant because it scales better and keeps client data isolated.

Step 2: Organizing Your Laravel App

• Use a tenant model to store client info (name, database connection, subscription plan).
• Use middleware to detect the tenant from the subdomain or request.
• Configure dynamic database connections based on the current tenant.

Example (simplified):

Config::set('database.connections.tenant.database', $tenant->database_name);
DB::purge('tenant');
DB::reconnect('tenant');

Step 3: Automating Tenant Creation

When a new client signs up:

1. Create a new database (if using separate DBs).
2. Run migrations for that tenant.
3. Seed initial data like default roles, settings, etc.

Automation tools like Laravel Artisan commands make this process smoother.

Step 4: Handling Shared Resources

Some features, like global settings, billing, or analytics, should be centralized. I usually store these in the main database and reference them in the tenant databases.

Step 5: Testing & Scaling

• Write unit and integration tests per tenant to ensure data isolation.
• Use queues for heavy operations like reports or notifications.
• Monitor performance—multi-tenant apps can grow fast!

Conclusion

Building a multi-tenant SaaS in Laravel is challenging but very rewarding. By separating tenants, automating setup, and centralizing shared resources, you can scale efficiently and securely.

Question for you:
If you were building a SaaS app, would you choose a single database or multiple databases for tenants? Why? Let me know in the comments!