How to Build a Secure Multi-Tenant Application in Laravel (2025 Edition)

If you're building a SaaS product or an enterprise dashboard with client-specific data, you need multi-tenancymulti-tenant Laravel app — the right way — using clean code, modern packages, and 2025-ready patterns.

🧠 What is Multi-Tenancy?

A multi-tenant application serves multiple customers (tenants) from a single codebase. Each tenant’s data is isolated — either in a separate database or logically separated within the same DB.

Use cases:

• ✅ SaaS tools like CRMs or HR systems
• ✅ Vendor portals with client isolation
• ✅ E-learning or document management platforms with multiple organizations

🏗️ Architectural Choices

• Single DB, Shared Schema: One DB, every model/table has a tenant_id column
• Database per Tenant: Each tenant gets a fully separate DB — more secure and scalable

We recommend DB-per-tenant for sensitive data, enterprise setups, or 100+ tenants.

🛠️ Tools We Use: Spatie & Tenancy

Laravel doesn’t handle multi-tenancy out of the box, but these packages help:

• spatie/laravel-multitenancy – Lightweight, DB-per-tenant focused
• tenancy/tenancy – Full-featured, flexible, active community

Both allow automatic DB switching, tenant detection by domain or subdomain, and command-based provisioning.

🔐 Securing Tenant Data (The Right Way)

Here’s how we ensure no tenant can access another tenant’s data:

• 🔑 Use middleware to detect tenant context (domain, subdomain, or session)
• 🔄 Auto-bind tenant_id to Eloquent queries (via Global Scopes)
• 🧱 Prevent cross-tenant API requests with route-based guards

Example:

    public function boot()
    {
      static::addGlobalScope('tenant', function (Builder $builder) {
        $builder->where('tenant_id', '=', auth()->user()->tenant_id);
      });
    }
    

🔧 Tenant Provisioning (Auto-Creation Logic)

When a new company signs up, we automatically:

1. Create a new DB (if DB-per-tenant)
2. Migrate and seed fresh tables
3. Assign custom domain/subdomain
4. Set tenant config in Redis for fast detection

Laravel makes this flow easy using Artisan commands and queue jobs.

⚙️ Domains, Subdomains, or URL Paths?

• Subdomains: tenant1.domain.com — most common
• Custom domains: clientsite.com — needs SSL automation
• Path-based: domain.com/tenant1 — easy but not SEO-friendly

Our choice? Subdomains with wildcard SSL for clean UX + secure separation.

🧠 Bonus: Multi-Tenant with Laravel + Vue/React

If your SaaS is a SPA, Laravel still handles multi-tenancy well. Just:

• ⛓️ Send tenant_id in every API call (headers or token-based)
• 🔐 Use Sanctum or Passport to scope user + tenant
• 🪄 Create tenant-based dashboards using Vue Router or React Router

📦 Optional Features We Add for Real Clients

• 📤 Stripe billing per tenant using Laravel Cashier
• 📥 Invitation system for tenant sub-users
• 📄 Audit logs and activity trail per tenant
• 📶 Rate limiting per tenant for security