multi-tenancy architecture
A multi-tenancy architecture is a software architecture used in cloud computing. In this architecture, a dedicated infrastructure is not provided for each individual customer, as in the single-tenancy architecture, but all users work on the same platform.
The individual tenants or clients are completely separated from each other on the platform in terms of data technology, so that it is not possible to access data or configurations between them. This means that each tenant can have its own customizations, e.g. customer-specific GUIs, processes and data management
In the multi-tenant concept, one software instance serves different clients, in contrast to a multi-tenant architecture where separate software instances or hardware systems serve different clients.
The multi-tenancy architecture is characterized by the fact that a software application is divided into virtual partitions and that each client group operates with a customer-specific virtual application instance. The single instance is application-specific in size and operates as software-as-a- service( SaaS), with multiple clients sharing a SaaS platform.
The multi-tenancy architecture can save costs for both the customer and the provider because upgrades are performed simultaneously for all customers operating on the SaaS platform. Hardware infrastructure and operating system customization benefit all tenands; only at the application and data level are client-specific customizations pronounced.
Advantages of multi-tenancy architectures
- Better scaling behavior: Hardware resources scale across all tenants.
- Short onboarding cycles: The installation of an additional tenant is (usually) automated and can be carried out at short notice, since an independent instance does not have to be set up first.