Django and Multi-Tenancy - Building SaaS Apps

Introduction

Building a Software as a Service (SaaS) application often involves serving multiple tenants, or customers, on a single platform. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to build multi-tenant SaaS apps with Django. You'll learn how to implement database separation, user management, subscription billing, and ensure data isolation for each tenant in your application.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

• Django Installed: You should have Django installed on your local development environment.
• Python Knowledge: A strong foundation in Python programming is essential.
• Database Skills: Familiarity with database management and modeling is crucial.

Step 1: Create a Django Project

The first step is to create a new Django project and set up a new app dedicated to your multi-tenant SaaS application.

Sample Project and App Creation

Create a new Django project and app using the following commands:

django-admin startproject saas_project
python manage.py startapp subscriptions
    

Step 2: Implement Multi-Tenancy

Implement multi-tenancy by separating databases and data for each tenant in your SaaS app.

Sample Database Routing

Configure database routing in your Django project's settings to manage separate databases for each tenant.

# settings.py
DATABASE_ROUTERS = ['saas_project.subscriptions.routers.TenantRouter']
    

Conclusion

Building multi-tenant SaaS apps with Django is a complex yet rewarding endeavor. This guide has introduced you to the basics, but there's much more to explore as you add features like user registration, subscription management, and data isolation to create a powerful and secure SaaS platform.