Things to Know when Considering Multi-Tenant or Multi-Threaded Applications

It’s time to talk about the types of things you should consider when diving into multi-tenant applications and things to be especially aware of if you attempt to make things faster by going multi-threaded at the same time. Join us as Allen continues is non-winning / non-losing streak, JZ is taken out by a storm, and Outlaw continues to ignore the notes for the intro to the show…

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Episode

Single vs multi-tenanted applications and multi-threaded programmingBe very careful about sharing state when doing anything in multi-threaded AND multi-tenanted applications

What are some important things to consider when writing multi-tenanted applications – per Claude

As mentioned in the episode, Claude’s answers seem to be very database heavy

Data isolation: Ensure that each tenant’s data is securely separated and inaccessible to other tenants. Authentication and authorization: Implement robust systems to verify tenant identity and control access to resources. Scalability: Design the architecture to handle growth in both the number of tenants and data volume per tenant. Performance: Optimize database queries and resource allocation to maintain speed as tenant count increases. Customization: Allow for tenant-specific configurations and features without compromising the core codebase. Monitoring and logging: Implement comprehensive logging and monitoring to track usage, errors, and performance per tenant. Maintenance and updates: Design the system to allow for updates and maintenance with minimal disruption to tenants. Data backup and recovery: Implement tenant-specific backup and recovery processes. Compliance and data regulations: Ensure the system can meet various regulatory requirements that may differ by tenant. Tenant onboarding and offboarding: Create efficient processes for adding new tenants and removing old ones. Good feature flagging support? Tracing / OpenTelemetry

Can you elaborate on the data isolation?
Data isolation is crucial in multi-tenant systems to prevent unauthorized access and ensure data privacy. Here are some key strategies to ensure data isolation:

Separate databasesUse a separate database for each tenantPros: Strong isolation, easier compliance Cons: Higher maintenance, potentially higher costs Shared database with separate schemasEach tenant gets their own schema within a shared databasePros: Good isolation, more cost-effective than separate databases Cons: Requires careful access control, potential for errors Shared schema with tenant IDUse a single schema but include a tenant ID column in each tablePros: Most cost-effective, easiest to maintain Cons: Highest risk of data leaks, requires vigilant query filtering Row-level securityImplement database-level security policies to restrict access based on tenant ID Particularly useful with shared schema approach EncryptionEncrypt sensitive data, potentially using tenant-specific keys Adds an extra layer of protection even if other measures fail Connection poolingUse separate connection pools for each tenant to prevent session mixups Query filteringAlways include tenant ID in queries, preferably at the database level Use ORMs or query builders that automatically add tenant filters API and application-level checksValidate tenant ID in all API calls and application logic Implement middleware to enforce tenant-specific access

Resources / Mentions

Salable Postgres product – Citus
https://www.citusdata.com/ Envelope encryption if you’re wanting to use tenant specific keys for multi-tenanted encryption – one approach is envelope encryption
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_cryptosystem#Envelope_encryption
https://cloud.google.com/kms/docs/envelope-encryption OWASP multi-tenant or “Cloud Tenant” Isolation
https://owasp.org/www-project-cloud-tenant-isolation/ C#’s Parallel.ForEach method – the easy way to do parallel processing in C#
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.threading.tasks.parallel.foreach?view=net-8.0 Can’t remember why we linked episode 11, but here it is!
https://www.codingblocks.net/podcast/episode-11-design-patterns-part-1-you-create-me/

Tips of the Week

Speculative fix? If you’re not sure that your fix is going to work, or you can’t reproduce the problem then consider over-communicating it and keeping artifacts such as screenshots of what you attempted.It’s useful for communication, but also for looking back when and if you start second guessing yourself. Shapez 2 is a cool refactoring, automation, and puzzle game. It’s similar to Factorio, but with a heavier emphasis on refactoring and puzzles.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/ Shapez2