Django DRF Multi-Tenancy with Schema Isolation

A scalable multi-tenant system using Django, Django Rest Framework (DRF), and PostgreSQL with schema-level isolation. Each tenant (a group of companies) gets its own isolated schema, ensuring data security and performance optimization.

---

🚀 Features

✅ Schema-based Multi-Tenancy – Each tenant has a separate schema in PostgreSQL.
✅ Automatic Schema Switching – Requests are routed to the correct schema dynamically.
✅ Shared & Tenant-Specific Apps – Control which apps are shared vs. tenant-specific.
✅ Scalable & Secure – Supports adding new tenants without modifying existing data.
✅ Django & DRF Integration – Provides APIs for tenant management.

---

Understanding Schema-Based Multi-Tenancy in Django & DRF

How Schema-Based Multi-Tenancy Works

Schema-based multi-tenancy is an approach where each tenant (company) has its own isolated schema in a single PostgreSQL database. This ensures data security, isolation, and scalability while allowing shared authentication and cross-tenant management when required.

Unlike row-based multi-tenancy (where all tenants share the same tables), schema-based multi-tenancy provides:

• Strong Isolation – Each company’s data exists in a separate schema.
• Better Performance – Queries operate on smaller, tenant-specific tables.
• Easier Scaling – Adding a new tenant means creating a new schema without affecting existing tenants.

Multi-Tenancy Structure in Global Dealer

The Global Dealer product supports two types of customers:

1. Single-Company Customers – One company (one schema) with multiple users.
2. Conglomerate Customers – A parent organization with multiple companies (tenants), each having its own schema.
3. Tenant-Based Users:
   • Admin Users – Manage their specific company (tenant).
   • Regular Users – Belong to a specific company.

Schema Design Example

Here’s an example of how PostgreSQL schemas will be structured:

public (shared schema)
│── tenants (stores metadata about all tenants)
│── users (shared authentication system)
│
├── company_1 (tenant schema)
│   ├── projects
│   ├── orders
│   ├── invoices
│
├── company_2 (tenant schema)
│   ├── projects
│   ├── orders
│   ├── invoices
│
├── company_3 (tenant schema)
│   ├── projects
│   ├── orders
│   ├── invoices

Each tenant schema (company_1, company_2, etc.) contains the same isolated tables. The public schema holds shared tables, like user authentication.

Handling Tenant Routing in Django

To manage multi-tenancy, Django will dynamically switch schemas based on the request. This is done using middleware that detects the tenant from the request domain and activates the corresponding schema.

Example Middleware Flow:

1. User requests company1.globaldealer.com.
2. Middleware identifies company1 as the tenant.
3. Django switches to the company_1 schema.
4. The request is processed using company_1's data.

🛠 Installation

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Epic-Codebase/django_drf_multi_tenancy.git
cd django_drf_multi_tenancy

2️⃣ Set Up a Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3️⃣ Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4️⃣ Configure PostgreSQL for Schema Support

Ensure PostgreSQL is installed and create a database:

CREATE DATABASE multi_tenant_db;

Update .env with database credentials:

DATABASE_URL=postgres://username:password@localhost:5432/multi_tenant_db

5️⃣ Apply Migrations

python manage.py migrate_schemas --shared

---

🚀 Usage

1️⃣ Create a New Tenant

Run the following Django shell command to create a tenant:

python manage.py shell

from tenants.models import Tenant
tenant = Tenant(domain="company1.globaldealer.com", schema_name="company1")
tenant.save()

🔹 This will create a new schema in PostgreSQL for company1.

2️⃣ Access Tenant-Specific Data

When a request comes from company1.globaldealer.com, Django automatically switches to its schema.

---

🔧 Configuration

Modify the Django settings to define shared vs. tenant-specific apps:

SHARED_APPS = [
    "django_tenants",
    "users",  # Shared auth system
]

TENANT_APPS = [
    "globaldealer_app",  # Tenant-specific app
]

INSTALLED_APPS = list(set(SHARED_APPS + TENANT_APPS))

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a new branch (feature-branch)
3. Submit a Pull Request

---

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.