Implementing Multi-Tenancy in Phoenix 1.8 - Single vs Multi-Organization Approaches

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[Guide] Implementing Multi-Tenancy in Phoenix 1.8 - Single vs Multi-Organization Approaches

Hello Elixir Community!

I’m excited to share a comprehensive resource I’ve put together on implementing multi-tenant applications in Phoenix 1.8. If you’re building a SaaS application or any system that needs to handle multiple organizations/tenants, this might save you a lot of research time!

What’s covered?

I’ve documented two distinct approaches to multi-tenancy with complete implementation guides:

  1. Single-Organization Model - Each user belongs to exactly one organization at a time

    • Simpler implementation with organization_id directly on users table
    • Straightforward role-based permissions within the single organization
    • Includes system administrator implementation that spans across organizations

  2. Multi-Organization Model - Users can belong to multiple organizations simultaneously

    • Uses a join table (organization_memberships) for flexible organization membership
    • Different roles in different organizations (admin in one, member in another)
    • Organization switching functionality

Both approaches leverage Phoenix 1.8’s new Scopes feature, which is a game-changer for implementing secure multi-tenancy by helping ensure proper data isolation between tenants.

Implementation Details

The documentation includes:

  • Complete database schema designs and migrations
  • Integration with phx.gen.auth
  • Role-based authorization using Bodyguard
  • LiveView implementations with Phoenix 1.8 components
  • Detailed implementation checklists to guide the development process
  • System administration functionality for cross-organization management

Repository Link

You can find everything here: GitHub - ZenHive/OrgsDocs

Which Approach Should You Use?

  • Single-Organization: Great for simpler applications where users typically belong to just one organization at a time (like most internal team tools)
  • Multi-Organization: Better for platforms where users regularly collaborate across multiple organizations (like freelancer platforms, consultancies, etc.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or questions about implementing multi-tenant applications in Phoenix. Have you tried different approaches? Any challenges you’ve faced? Any improvements you’d suggest to the implementations?

Happy coding!

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