Introduction Over the past few months, I’ve built multiple SaaS applications that required full multi-tenant capabilities - including regression application, HR platforms, finance dashboards, and a payroll system, a multi-tenant compensation analytics platform. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I leaned heavily on the incredible spatie/laravel-multitenancy package. It gave me a solid, reliable, and scalable foundation for handling multiple companies (tenants) on a single Laravel codebase, while keeping each tenant’s data fully isolated. This article breaks down how I’ve used this package in real production systems, what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons I learned building multi-tenant SaaS applications in Laravel. What is Multi-Tenant Architecture? A multi-tenant system allows multiple companies (tenants) to use the same application while ensuring: Their data is fully isolated
Their resources are separated
Their settings, users, and permissions remain independent Their data is fully isolated Their resources are separated Their settings, users, and permissions remain independent Good examples:Stripe, HubSpot, Freshdesk, Workday - all multi-tenant SaaS. Three Types of Multi-Tenant Single Database, Shared Schema One DB for all tenants
Tenant ID used to separate data
Easiest to implement
Higher risk of accidental data leaks One DB for all tenants Tenant ID used to separate data Easiest to implement Higher risk of accidental data leaks Single Database, Separate Schema Each tenant has its own schema/tables
More isolation
Slightly more maintenance Each tenant has its own schema/tables More isolation Slightly more maintenance Multiple Database (One per Tenant) each tenant has completely separate DB
Maximum security + isolation
Perfect for enterprise SaaS
Spatie supports this best each tenant has completely separate DB Maximum security + isolation Perfect for enterprise SaaS Spatie supports this best For most of the applications and other products I’ve built, I used the “separate database per tenant” model because I prefer stronger data isolation and easier backups. Why I choose spatie/laravel-multitenancy Spatie makes multi-tenancy in Laravel simple, flexible, and production-ready.Key advantages I was able to highlight are: Supports all three multi-tenant strategies
Automatic tenant identification (domain, subdomain, path, or custom logic)
Automatic database switching
Tenant-aware queues & jobs
Tenant-specific migrations + storage directories
Fully extendable and customisable
Reliable and actively maintained Supports all three multi-tenant strategies Automatic tenant identification (domain, subdomain, path, or custom logic) Automatic database switching Tenant-aware queues & jobs Tenant-specific migrations + storage directories Fully extendable and customisable Reliable and actively maintained This package saved me weeks per project . Setting up Multi-Tenancy A. Tenant Identification I use domain-based identification: class TenantFinder extends SpatieTenantFinder
{
    public function findForRequest(Request $request): ?Tenant
    {
        return Tenant::where('domain', $request->getHost())->first();
    }
} class TenantFinder extends SpatieTenantFinder
{
    public function findForRequest(Request $request): ?Tenant
    {
        return Tenant::where('domain', $request->getHost())->first();
    }
} This automatically switches the application context depending on the domain. B. Running Tenant Migration Each tenant has its own database.I run migrations like this: php artisan tenants:migrate php artisan tenants:migrate When I add a feature, every tenant gets the update without manual work. C. Tenant-Aware Queues Spatie automatically ensures queues run under the correct tenant: Bus::chain([
   new ProcessPayroll($tenant),
   new GenerateReports($tenant),
   new ProcessPayment($tenant),
])->dispatch(); Bus::chain([
   new ProcessPayroll($tenant),
   new GenerateReports($tenant),
   new ProcessPayment($tenant),
])->dispatch(); This isolates queued jobs per tenant and avoids cross-data issues. D. Central Database vs Tenant Database I separate components like this: Central Database Central Database All tenants
Subscriptions
Billing
System-wide settings All tenants Subscriptions Billing System-wide settings Tenant Database Tenant Database Employees
Payroll
Reports
Logs
Configurations Employees Payroll Reports Logs Configurations This separation has been a huge scaling advantage. Challenges I Faced (And How I Solved Them) 1. Queue Context Issues 1. Queue Context Issues Sometimes queued jobs executed without tenant context Solution: Explicitly set tenant in queued jobs: $this->tenant->makeCurrent(); $this->tenant->makeCurrent(); 2. Cache Leakage 2. Cache Leakage Cached values from one tenant were leaking to another. Solution: Use tenant-scoped cache: cache()->tenant($tenant->id)->put(); cache()->tenant($tenant->id)->put(); 3. Migration Order Problems 3. Migration Order Problems If I ran central migrations after tenant migrations, conflicts appeared. Solution: Create a CI pipeline process:central migrate → tenant migrate Best Practices for Multi-Tenant Laravel Systems [ ]Always force tenant context in jobs & events
[ ]Use a separate DB per tenant for high-risk / financial system
[ ]Add logging for tenant identification issues
[ ]Isolate cache, queue, and storage
[ ]Build modular services per domain
[ ]Never mix tenant & central logic in the same model [ ]Always force tenant context in jobs & events [ ] [ ]Use a separate DB per tenant for high-risk / financial system [ ] [ ]Add logging for tenant identification issues [ ] [ ]Isolate cache, queue, and storage [ ] [ ]Build modular services per domain [ ] [ ]Never mix tenant & central logic in the same model [ ] This has helped me scale to hundreds of tenants without issues. When NOT to Use Multi-Tenancy Avoid multi-tenancy if: The system is for only one organisation
The app requires heavy, tenant-level analytics
Government/security rules require total infrastructure isolation
On-prem installations are required
The tech team is very junior The system is for only one organisation The app requires heavy, tenant-level analytics Government/security rules require total infrastructure isolation On-prem installations are required The tech team is very junior A monolithic single-tenant system might be simpler in these cases. My Conclusion Multi-tenant architecture is powerful, cost-effective, and ideal for modern SaaS applications. With spatie/laravel-multitenancy, I’ve been able to deliver multiple production-ready platforms quickly and safely. spatie/laravel-multitenancy Laravel + Spatie gives you the structure, isolation, performance, and flexibility you need to build serious SaaS products without fighting the framework. If you’re building SaaS in Laravel, this package is one of the best decisions you can make.

Building Scalable SaaS: My Real-World Journey Using spatie/laravel-multitenancy for Multi-Tenant Arc

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