What is Multi-Tenancy and How Does It Work?

Multi-tenancy is an architectural model where a single application serves multiple discrete user groups (tenants) with shared infrastructure but logically separated data and configurations. The guide covers three main models: single-tenant (dedicated resources, highest isolation, most expensive), multi-tenant (shared resources, lowest cost, potential performance impacts), and hybrid (mixed approach balancing cost and isolation). Key considerations include regulatory compliance requirements, performance expectations, security implications like cross-tenant data leakage, and database design patterns ranging from shared schemas to separate databases. The choice depends on factors like compliance needs, performance requirements, operational overhead, and growth potential.