Implement Multi Tenant Architecture in Symfony

Thibault Beaumont — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 09:56:02 +0000

Multi-tenancy is a crucial architectural pattern for SaaS applications where a single application instance serves multiple customers (tenants) while keeping their data isolated and secure. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to implement multi-tenancy in Symfony applications.

What is Multi-Tenancy?

Multi-tenancy is an architecture where a single instance of a software application serves multiple tenants. Each tenant is a group of users who share common access with specific privileges to the software instance. The key principle is data isolation ensuring that each tenant can only access their own data.

Types of Multi-Tenancy

Single Database, Shared Schema: All tenants share the same database and tables with a tenant identifier column
Single Database, Separate Schemas: Each tenant has their own schema within the same database
Separate Databases: Each tenant has their own dedicated database which is what we are going to discuss in this article.

Why Multi-Tenancy in Symfony?

Cost Efficiency: Shared infrastructure reduces operational costs
Scalability: Easier to scale a single application instance
Maintenance: Updates and bug fixes apply to all tenants simultaneously
Resource Optimization: Better resource utilization across tenants

Hakam Multi Tenancy Bundle: A Bundle That Makes the Difference 🔥

The easiest way to implement it is to use the Multi-tenancy Bundle made by RamyHakam. In this article we will deep dive into this bundle to setup our architecture.

📖 Introduction

Let's create a medical management application. The objective is to understand the concept of data separation by tenant while maintaining robust security.

🏗️ Architecture

The application follows a multi-tenant architecture with separate database per tenant:

Main database: Contains users, establishments and tenant configuration
Tenant databases: One database per medical establishment containing patients

🚀 Basic setup

Requirements

PHP 8.2
Composer
Symfony CLI
Database (MySQL/PostgreSQL)

Let's Create the Project

symfony new medical-app

Environment Variables

Set up the .env file:

# Base de données principale
DATABASE_URL="mysql://user:password@127.0.0.1:3306/medical-app?serverVersion=8.0.32&charset=utf8mb4"

📦 Dependencies

Installing Required Bundles

Install the main bundles required for multi-tenancy:

# Core bundles
composer require doctrine/orm symfony/security-bundle api-platform/core lexik/jwt-authentication-bundle nelmio/cors-bundle

# Multi-tenancy bundle
composer require hakam/multi-tenancy-bundle

Development Dependencies

# Development tools
composer require --dev symfony/maker-bundle symfony/web-profiler-bundle doctrine/doctrine-fixtures-bundle phpunit/phpunit

Bundle Registration

The bundles should be automatically registered in config/bundles.php:

<?php

return [
    // ... other bundles
    Doctrine\Bundle\DoctrineBundle\DoctrineBundle::class => ['all' => true],
    Symfony\Bundle\SecurityBundle\SecurityBundle::class => ['all' => true],
    ApiPlatform\Symfony\Bundle\ApiPlatformBundle::class => ['all' => true],
    Lexik\Bundle\JWTAuthenticationBundle\LexikJWTAuthenticationBundle::class => ['all' => true],
    Nelmio\CorsBundle\NelmioCorsBundle::class => ['all' => true],
    Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\HakamMultiTenancyBundle::class => ['all' => true],
];

🔧 Step-by-Step Configuration

Multi-Tenancy Bundle Configuration

First, configure the Hakam Multi-Tenancy bundle in config/packages/hakam_multi_tenancy.yaml:

hakam_multi_tenancy:
  # Main database connection (for users, establishments, tenant configs)
  main_connection: "default"

  # Tenant database configuration
  tenant:
    # Directory where tenant entity mappings are stored
    entity_manager_name: "tenant"

    # Tenant entity namespace
    entity_namespace: 'App\Entity\Tenant'

    # Database configuration for tenants
    database:
      driver: "pdo_mysql"
      charset: "utf8mb4"
      server_version: "8.0.32"

  # Security configuration
  security:
    # Automatic tenant switching based on user context
    auto_switch: true

    # Tenant resolver service (optional custom implementation)
    tenant_resolver: null

Doctrine Configuration

Update config/packages/doctrine.yaml to support multiple entity managers:

doctrine:
  dbal:
    default_connection: default
    connections:
      default:
        url: "%env(resolve:DATABASE_URL)%"
        driver: "pdo_mysql"
        server_version: "8.0.32"
        charset: utf8mb4

  orm:
    auto_generate_proxy_classes: true
    default_entity_manager: default
    entity_managers:
      default:
        connection: default
        mappings:
          Main:
            is_bundle: false
            dir: "%kernel.project_dir%/src/Entity/Main"
            prefix: 'App\Entity\Main'
            alias: Main
      tenant:
        connection: tenant
        mappings:
          Tenant:
            is_bundle: false
            dir: "%kernel.project_dir%/src/Entity/Tenant"
            prefix: 'App\Entity\Tenant'
            alias: Tenant

Now let's implement the main entities:

1. 👤 User Configuration

Creating the User Entity

symfony console make:user

The User entity contains:

username: Unique identifier
email: Email address
password: Hashed password
roles: Security roles
establishments: Relationship to establishments

We add Assert to protect the entity here is the code :

<?php

namespace App\Entity\Main;

use App\Repository\Main\UserRepository;
use Doctrine\Common\Collections\ArrayCollection;
use Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
use Symfony\Bridge\Doctrine\Validator\Constraints\UniqueEntity;
use Symfony\Component\Security\Core\User\PasswordAuthenticatedUserInterface;
use Symfony\Component\Security\Core\User\UserInterface;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\ApiResource;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;

#[ORM\Entity(repositoryClass: UserRepository::class)]
#[ORM\Table(name: '`user`')]
#[ORM\UniqueConstraint(name: 'UNIQ_IDENTIFIER_EMAIL', fields: ['email'])]
#[ApiResource]
#[UniqueEntity(fields: ['email'], message: 'There is already an account with this email')]
class User implements UserInterface, PasswordAuthenticatedUserInterface
{
    #[ORM\Id]
    #[ORM\GeneratedValue]
    #[ORM\Column]
    private ?int $id = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 180, unique: true)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank]
    #[Assert\Length(min: 3, max: 180)]
    private ?string $email = null;

    /**
     * @var list<string> The user roles
     */
    #[ORM\Column]
    private array $roles = [];

    /**
     * @var string The hashed password
     */
    #[ORM\Column]
    #[Assert\NotBlank]
    #[Assert\Length(min: 8)]
    #[Assert\Regex(pattern: '/^(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z])(?=.*\d)(?=.*[@$!%*?&])[A-Za-z\d@$!%*?&]{8,}$/', message: 'Password must contain at least 8 characters, one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one special character')]
    private ?string $password = null;

    /**
     * @var Collection<int, Establishment>
     */
    #[ORM\OneToMany(targetEntity: Establishment::class, mappedBy: 'user')]
    private Collection $establishments;

    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->establishments = new ArrayCollection();
    }


    public function getId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    /**
     * A visual identifier that represents this user.
     *
     * @see UserInterface
     */
    public function getUserIdentifier(): string
    {
            return (string) $this->email;
    }

    /**
     * @see UserInterface
     */
    public function getRoles(): array
    {
        $roles = $this->roles;
        // guarantee every user at least has ROLE_USER
        $roles[] = 'ROLE_USER';

        return array_unique($roles);
    }

    /**
     * @param list<string> $roles
     */
    public function setRoles(array $roles): static
    {
        $this->roles = $roles;

        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * @see PasswordAuthenticatedUserInterface
     */
    public function getPassword(): ?string
    {
        return $this->password;
    }

    public function setPassword(string $password): static
    {
        $this->password = $password;

        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * Ensure the session doesn't contain actual password hashes by CRC32C-hashing them, as supported since Symfony 7.3.
     */
    public function __serialize(): array
    {
        $data = (array) $this;
        $data["\0" . self::class . "\0password"] = hash('crc32c', $this->password);

        return $data;
    }

    #[\Deprecated]
    public function eraseCredentials(): void
    {
        // @deprecated, to be removed when upgrading to Symfony 8
    }

    public function getEmail(): ?string
    {
        return $this->email;
    }

    public function setEmail(string $email): static
    {
        $this->email = $email;

        return $this;
    }

    /**
     * @return Collection<int, Establishment>
     */
    public function getEstablishments(): Collection
    {
        return $this->establishments;
    }

    public function addEstablishment(Establishment $establishment): static
    {
        if (!$this->establishments->contains($establishment)) {
            $this->establishments->add($establishment);
            $establishment->setUser($this);
        }

        return $this;
    }

    public function removeEstablishment(Establishment $establishment): static
    {
        if ($this->establishments->removeElement($establishment)) {
            if ($establishment->getUser() === $this) {
                $establishment->setUser(null);
            }
        }

        return $this;
    }
}

2. 🏠 Establishment entity

Each Establishment will be a unique tenant. Here is the Establishment entity :

<?php

namespace App\Entity\Main;

use App\Repository\Main\EstablishmentRepository;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\ApiResource;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;

#[ORM\Entity(repositoryClass: EstablishmentRepository::class)]
#[ApiResource]
class Establishment
{
    #[ORM\Id]
    #[ORM\GeneratedValue]
    #[ORM\Column]
    private ?int $id = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 100)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'Establishment name is required')]
    #[Assert\Length(
        min: 2,
        max: 100,
        minMessage: 'Establishment name must be at least {{ limit }} characters long',
        maxMessage: 'Establishment name cannot be longer than {{ limit }} characters'
    )]
    private ?string $name = null;

    #[ORM\Column]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'Tenant ID is required')]
    #[Assert\Positive(message: 'Tenant ID must be a positive integer')]
    private ?int $tenantId = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 500)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'Address is required')]
    #[Assert\Length(
        min: 5,
        max: 500,
        minMessage: 'Address must be at least {{ limit }} characters long',
        maxMessage: 'Address cannot be longer than {{ limit }} characters'
    )]
    private ?string $address = null;

    #[ORM\ManyToOne(inversedBy: 'establishments')]
    #[Assert\NotNull(message: 'User is required')]
    private ?User $user = null;


    public function getId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    public function getName(): ?string
    {
        return $this->name;
    }

    public function setName(string $name): static
    {
        $this->name = $name;

        return $this;
    }

    public function getTenantId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->tenantId;
    }

    public function setTenantId(int $tenantId): static
    {
        $this->tenantId = $tenantId;

        return $this;
    }

    public function getAddress(): ?string
    {
        return $this->address;
    }

    public function setAddress(string $address): static
    {
        $this->address = $address;

        return $this;
    }

    public function getUser(): ?User
    {
        return $this->user;
    }

    public function setUser(?User $user): static
    {
        $this->user = $user;

        return $this;
    }
}

Main Database Migration

symfony console make:migration
symfony console doctrine:migration:migrate

⚠️ Important: Check your .env configuration before executing migrations

2. 🏢 Multi-Tenant Configuration

Entity Structure

The project uses a clear separation between entities:

src/Entity/
├── Main/           # Global entities (main database)
│   ├── User.php
│   ├── Establishment.php
│   └── TenantDbConfig.php
└── Tenant/         # Tenant entities (separate databases)
    └── Patient.php

To Setup the Tenant, you need to provide a TenantDbConfig Entity based on the Bundle Documentation :

TenantDbConfig Entity

The TenantDbConfig entity stores database configuration for each tenant:


<?php

namespace App\Entity\Main;

use App\Repository\Main\TenantDbConfigRepository;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Services\TenantDbConfigurationInterface;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Traits\TenantDbConfigTrait;

#[ORM\Entity(repositoryClass: TenantDbConfigRepository::class)]
class TenantDbConfig implements TenantDbConfigurationInterface
{
    use TenantDbConfigTrait;
    #[ORM\Id]
    #[ORM\GeneratedValue]
    #[ORM\Column]
    private ?int $id = null;

    public function getId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }
}

Patient Entity (Tenant)

The Patient entity implements TenantEntityInterface and contains:

firstName: Patient's first name
lastName: Last name
nir: Social security number (15 digits)
birthDate: Date of birth

<?php

namespace App\Entity\Tenant;

use App\Repository\Tenant\PatientRepository;
use Doctrine\DBAL\Types\Types;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Entity\TenantEntityInterface;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\ApiResource;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;

#[ORM\Entity(repositoryClass: PatientRepository::class)]
#[ApiResource]
class Patient implements TenantEntityInterface
{
    #[ORM\Id]
    #[ORM\GeneratedValue]
    #[ORM\Column]
    private ?int $id = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 100)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'First name is required')]
    #[Assert\Length(
        min: 2,
        max: 100,
        minMessage: 'First name must be at least {{ limit }} characters long',
        maxMessage: 'First name cannot be longer than {{ limit }} characters'
    )]
    private ?string $firstName = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 100)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'Last name is required')]
    #[Assert\Length(
        min: 2,
        max: 100,
        minMessage: 'Last name must be at least {{ limit }} characters long',
        maxMessage: 'Last name cannot be longer than {{ limit }} characters'
    )]
    private ?string $lastName = null;

    #[ORM\Column(length: 15, unique: true)]
    #[Assert\NotBlank(message: 'NIR (Social Security Number) is required')]
    #[Assert\Length(exactly: 15, exactMessage: 'NIR must be exactly {{ limit }} characters long')]
    #[Assert\Regex(pattern: '/^[12][0-9]{14}$/', message: 'NIR format is invalid')]
    private ?string $nir = null;

    #[ORM\Column(type: Types::DATE_MUTABLE)]
    #[Assert\NotNull(message: 'Birth date is required')]
    #[Assert\LessThan('today', message: 'Birth date must be in the past')]
    private ?\DateTimeInterface $birthDate = null;

    #[ORM\Column]
    private ?int $tenantId = null;

    public function getId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    public function getFirstName(): ?string
    {
        return $this->firstName;
    }

    public function setFirstName(string $firstName): static
    {
        $this->firstName = $firstName;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getLastName(): ?string
    {
        return $this->lastName;
    }

    public function setLastName(string $lastName): static
    {
        $this->lastName = $lastName;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getNir(): ?string
    {
        return $this->nir;
    }

    public function setNir(string $nir): static
    {
        $this->nir = $nir;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getBirthDate(): ?\DateTimeInterface
    {
        return $this->birthDate;
    }

    public function setBirthDate(\DateTimeInterface $birthDate): static
    {
        $this->birthDate = $birthDate;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getTenantId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->tenantId;
    }

    public function setTenantId(int $tenantId): static
    {
        $this->tenantId = $tenantId;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getFullName(): string
    {
        return $this->firstName . ' ' . $this->lastName;
    }
}

3. 📊 Fixtures and Test Data

Fixtures Structure

src/DataFixtures/
├── Main/
│   ├── UserFixtures.php          # Users and admin
│   ├── EstablishmentFixtures.php  # Medical establishments
│   └── TenantDbConfigFixtures.php # Tenant configuration
└── Tenant/
    └── PatientFixtures.php        # Patients per tenant

Implementing Main Fixtures

User Fixtures :

We can implement the user fixture with a few user :


<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\DataFixtures\Main;

use App\Entity\Main\User;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\Fixture;
use Doctrine\Persistence\ObjectManager;
use Symfony\Component\PasswordHasher\Hasher\UserPasswordHasherInterface;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\FixtureGroupInterface;

class UserFixtures extends Fixture implements FixtureGroupInterface
{
    private UserPasswordHasherInterface $passwordHasher;
    public const USER_REFERENCE = 'user_';
    public function __construct(UserPasswordHasherInterface $passwordHasher)
    {
        $this->passwordHasher = $passwordHasher;
    }

    private $users = [
        [
            'password' => 'Password123!',
            'email' => 'john@icloud.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Test123!',
            'email' => 'sarah@gmail.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Toto123!',
            'email' => 'mike@yahoo.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Titi123!',
            'email' => 'emma@hotmail.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Tata123!',
            'email' => 'alex@outlook.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Tutu123!',
            'email' => 'lucas@protonmail.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'Power123!',
            'email' => 'sophie@wanadoo.fr',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'PowerTest123!',
            'email' => 'daniel@free.fr',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_USER'],
        ],
        [
            'password' => 'SuperAdmin123!',
            'email' => 'admin@myapp.com',
            'roles' => ['ROLE_ADMIN'],
        ],
    ];

    public function load(ObjectManager $manager): void
    {
        foreach ($this->users as $index => $userData) {
            $user = new User();
            $user->setEmail($userData['email']);
            $user->setRoles($userData['roles']);

            $hashedPassword = $this->passwordHasher->hashPassword($user, $userData['password']);
            $user->setPassword($hashedPassword);

            $this->addReference(self::USER_REFERENCE . ($index + 1), $user);

            $manager->persist($user);
        }
        $manager->flush();
    }

    public static function getGroups(): array
    {
        return [
            'main',
        ];
    }
}

Tenant Fixtures :

This fixtures is the key point, we will create the tenant thank to the data provided in that fixtures.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\DataFixtures\Main;

use App\Entity\Main\TenantDbConfig;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\Fixture;
use Doctrine\Persistence\ObjectManager;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Enum\DatabaseStatusEnum;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Enum\DriverTypeEnum;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\FixtureGroupInterface;

class TenantDbConfigFixtures extends Fixture implements FixtureGroupInterface
{

    private $tenantConfigs = [
        1 => [
            'dbName' => 'cabinet1',
            'dbUsername' => 'root',
            'dbHost' => '127.0.0.1',
            'dbPort' => '3306',
            'dbPassword' => '',
        ],
        2 => [
            'dbName' => 'cabinet2',
            'dbUsername' => 'root',
            'dbHost' => '127.0.0.1',
            'dbPassword' => '',
            'dbPort' => '3306',
        ],
        3 => [
            'dbName' => 'cabinet3',
            'dbUsername' => 'root',
            'dbHost' => '127.0.0.1',
            'dbPassword' => '',
            'dbPort' => '3306',
        ],
        4 => [
            'dbName' => 'cabinet4',
            'dbUsername' => 'root',
            'dbPassword' => '',
            'dbHost' => '127.0.0.1',
            'dbPort' => '3306',
        ]
    ];
    public function load(ObjectManager $manager): void
    {
        foreach ($this->tenantConfigs as $key => $tenantConfig) {
            $newTenant = new TenantDbConfig();
            $newTenant->setDbName($tenantConfig['dbName']);
            $newTenant->setDbUserName($tenantConfig['dbUsername']);
            $newTenant->setDbHost($tenantConfig['dbHost']);
            $newTenant->setDbPort($tenantConfig['dbPort']);
            $newTenant->setDbPassword($tenantConfig['dbPassword']);
            $newTenant->setDriverType(DriverTypeEnum::MYSQL);
            $newTenant->setDatabaseStatus(DatabaseStatusEnum::DATABASE_NOT_CREATED); // it will be switched to DATABASE_CREATED when we will execute the command
            $manager->persist($newTenant);
        }
        $manager->flush();
    }

    public static function getGroups(): array
    {
        return ['main'];
    }
}

Establishment Fixture :

And finally for the main fixtures we implement the establishment fixture that is linked to the user Entity :

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\DataFixtures\Main;

use App\Entity\Main\Establishment;
use App\Entity\Main\User;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\Fixture;
use Doctrine\Persistence\ObjectManager;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\FixtureGroupInterface;
use Doctrine\Common\DataFixtures\DependentFixtureInterface;

class EstablishmentFixtures extends Fixture implements FixtureGroupInterface, DependentFixtureInterface
{
    public const ESTABLISHMENT_REFERENCE = 'establishment_';
    private $establishments = [
        [
            'name' => 'Cabinet Médical Pasteur',
            'tenantId' => 1,
            'address' => '123 Rue Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France',
            'userIds' => [4],
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'Clinique Saint-Antoine',
            'tenantId' => 2,
            'address' => '456 Avenue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris, France',
            'userIds' => [5],
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'Centre Médical République',
            'tenantId' => 3,
            'address' => '789 Place de la République, 75003 Paris, France',
            'userIds' => [6],
        ],
        [
            'name' => 'Polyclinique Montparnasse',
            'tenantId' => 4,
            'address' => '101 Boulevard Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France',
            'userIds' => [8],
        ],
    ];
    public function load(ObjectManager $manager): void
    {
        foreach ($this->establishments as $index => $establishment) {
            $newEstablishment = new Establishment();
            $newEstablishment->setName($establishment['name']);
            $newEstablishment->setTenantId($establishment['tenantId']);
            $newEstablishment->setAddress($establishment['address']);

            foreach ($establishment['userIds'] as $userId) {
                $user = $this->getReference(UserFixtures::USER_REFERENCE . $userId, User::class);
                $user->addEstablishment($newEstablishment);
            }

            $this->addReference(self::ESTABLISHMENT_REFERENCE . ($index + 1), $newEstablishment);
            $manager->persist($newEstablishment);
        }
        $manager->flush();
    }

    public static function getGroups(): array
    {
        return ['main'];
    }

    public function getDependencies(): array
    {
        return [
            UserFixtures::class,
        ];
    }
}

Loading Main Fixtures

symfony console doctrine:fixtures:load -n --group=main

Let's check the data that we have in Databases :

For the User :


mysql> select * from user;
+----+----------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| id | email                | roles          | password                                                     |
+----+----------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 28 | john@icloud.com      | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$Dn70RQoOjakCHTsgxfGeseD/Q1etbyPBPH5/0R9qAYGceUZa/nmYm |
| 29 | sarah@gmail.com      | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$6Q2cuEzTY.aeAz2i8IK6Ie/Ju87JONRRfR0R3goCGudnObGuP5Ooe |
| 30 | mike@yahoo.com       | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$Vl2DXONnP9FR.GhFeuI1Qe4avwPYTWGm3v0Lpolp7a.M7GHctOMAK |
| 31 | emma@hotmail.com     | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$Q8s62rQa.xQ16JDQA9s97OIB.967Wo988.3Bp093R8VzH81jUeJ6C |
| 32 | alex@outlook.com     | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$xKp3ytRGDfyh7kiui5949.xv5AnyHyXJMFD7Hqbpwvav.kGv6ehvK |
| 33 | lucas@protonmail.com | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$jU2dz1.Kb66BrxuCsK4L9Omv9UZgUnL8CG/bY/BU0dOJXi9JtBqJm |
| 34 | sophie@wanadoo.fr    | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$Sy2NExwJ6hmpSZYOupEyNeks/Y9n2VZOa/Sog6H6lC1RkARlW42rW |
| 35 | daniel@free.fr       | ["ROLE_USER"]  | $2y$13$mJRzNzrybdpNErTY5uovAeEkTxeYK2SPFwmREdUEGDn3Yo3niOnj6 |
| 36 | admin@myapp.com      | ["ROLE_ADMIN"] | $2y$13$BP0f1WhGKbqr1lytFPrYwOq0o85NpfRv5DocBlwvBZcyE7l295yqS |
+----+----------------------+----------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+

For the Tenant Db Config :

mysql> select * from tenantDbConfig;
+----+----------+------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------+----------------------+
| id | dbName   | driverType | dbUserName | dbPassword | dbHost    | dbPort | databaseStatus       |
+----+----------+------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------+----------------------+
| 13 | cabinet1 | mysql      | root       |            | 127.0.0.1 | 3306   | DATABASE_NOT_CREATED |
| 14 | cabinet2 | mysql      | root       |            | 127.0.0.1 | 3306   | DATABASE_NOT_CREATED |
| 15 | cabinet3 | mysql      | root       |            | 127.0.0.1 | 3306   | DATABASE_NOT_CREATED |
| 16 | cabinet4 | mysql      | root       |            | 127.0.0.1 | 3306   | DATABASE_NOT_CREATED |
+----+----------+------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------+----------------------+
4 rows in set (0,01 sec)

For the Establishement :


mysql> select * from Establishment;
+----+---------+-----------------------------+----------+--------------------------------------------------+
| id | user_id | name                        | tenantId | address                                          |
+----+---------+-----------------------------+----------+--------------------------------------------------+
|  1 |      31 | Cabinet Médical Pasteur     |        1 | 123 Rue Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France             |
|  2 |      32 | Clinique Saint-Antoine      |        2 | 456 Avenue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris, France    |
|  3 |      33 | Centre Médical République   |        3 | 789 Place de la République, 75003 Paris, France  |
|  4 |      35 | Polyclinique Montparnasse   |        4 | 101 Boulevard Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France  |
+----+---------+-----------------------------+----------+--------------------------------------------------+
4 rows in set (0,00 sec)

Fine now that we have our data we can create our tenant.

Implementing Tenant Fixtures

Patient fixture :

In order to load the tenant fixture we have to set the #[TenantFixture] by using the

<?php use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Attribute\TenantFixture;

It's provided by the bundle.


<?php

namespace App\DataFixtures\Tenant;

use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Attribute\TenantFixture;
use Doctrine\Bundle\FixturesBundle\Fixture;
use Doctrine\Persistence\ObjectManager;
use App\Entity\Tenant\Patient;

#[TenantFixture]
class PatientFixtures extends Fixture
{

    private $patients = [
        [
            'firstName' => 'John',
            'lastName' => 'Pers',
            'nir' => '110122323454252',
            'birthDate' => '1997-10-15',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Emma',
            'lastName' => 'Durand',
            'nir' => '290155789654321',
            'birthDate' => '1991-05-03',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Lucas',
            'lastName' => 'Martin',
            'nir' => '190178456321987',
            'birthDate' => '1999-11-10',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Sophie',
            'lastName' => 'Bernard',
            'nir' => '280145632198745',
            'birthDate' => '1924-07-17',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Daniel',
            'lastName' => 'Petit',
            'nir' => '180165987321654',
            'birthDate' => '1985-01-04',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Clara',
            'lastName' => 'Roux',
            'nir' => '290188654987321',
            'birthDate' => '1994-04-04',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Maxime',
            'lastName' => 'Girard',
            'nir' => '190165478963258',
            'birthDate' => '1993-09-02',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Laura',
            'lastName' => 'Dupuis',
            'nir' => '290175896321478',
            'birthDate' => '1996-12-25',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Antoine',
            'lastName' => 'Morel',
            'nir' => '180154789632145',
            'birthDate' => '1991-02-01',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Camille',
            'lastName' => 'Faure',
            'nir' => '290168745963214',
            'birthDate' => '1994-08-05',
        ],
        [
            'firstName' => 'Julien',
            'lastName' => 'Mercier',
            'nir' => '190198745632589',
            'birthDate' => '1989-06-10',
        ],
    ];
    public function load(ObjectManager $manager): void
    {
        for ($i = 0; $i < count($this->patients); $i++) {
            $newPatient = new Patient();
            $newPatient->setFirstName($this->patients[$i]['firstName']);
            $newPatient->setLastName($this->patients[$i]['lastName']);
            $newPatient->setNir($this->patients[$i]['nir']);
            $newPatient->setBirthDate(new \DateTime($this->patients[$i]['birthDate']));
            $manager->persist($newPatient);
        }
        $manager->flush();
    }
    public static function getGroups(): array
    {
        return ['tenant'];
    }
}

4. 🗄️ Tenant Database Management

Creating Tenant Databases

symfony console tenant:database:create

Generating Tenant Migrations

# Generate migration based on the tenant ID 1
symfony console tenant:migration:diff 1

Applying Migrations

# Initial migration with interactive assistant
symfony console tenant:migration:migrate init

Loading Fixtures

By default if you type :

symfony console tenant:fixtures:load -n

This will load the fixture inside the first tenant database. You can specify the id of the tenant that you want to insert your fixtures like that :

symfony console tenant:fixtures:load 2 -n

And you get that result:

mysql> use cabinet2;
Database changed


mysql> select * from patient;
+----+------------+-----------+-----------------+------------+
| id | first_name | last_name | nir             | birth_date |
+----+------------+-----------+-----------------+------------+
|  1 | John       | Pers      | 110122323454252 | 1997-10-15 |
|  2 | Emma       | Durand    | 290155789654321 | 1991-05-03 |
|  3 | Lucas      | Martin    | 190178456321987 | 1999-11-10 |
|  4 | Sophie     | Bernard   | 280145632198745 | 1924-07-17 |
|  5 | Daniel     | Petit     | 180165987321654 | 1985-01-04 |
|  6 | Clara      | Roux      | 290188654987321 | 1994-04-04 |
|  7 | Maxime     | Girard    | 190165478963258 | 1993-09-02 |
|  8 | Laura      | Dupuis    | 290175896321478 | 1996-12-25 |
|  9 | Antoine    | Morel     | 180154789632145 | 1991-02-01 |
| 10 | Camille    | Faure     | 290168745963214 | 1994-08-05 |
| 11 | Julien     | Mercier   | 190198745632589 | 1989-06-10 |
+----+------------+-----------+-----------------+------------+
11 rows in set (0,00 sec)

Tenant Switch Service

Now that we have configured our Main and Tenant Entity, created our tenant and loaded every fixture. We can implement a new service that will switch to a specific tenant.

In this example I put the tenant id as an argument of the switch tenant method, but I recommend to pass it in the header like that X-Tenant-Id.

The TenantSwitchService manages:

Access rights verification
Database switching
Tenant-level security

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Service;

use App\Entity\Main\User;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Doctrine\ORM\TenantEntityManager;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Event\SwitchDbEvent;
use Symfony\Bundle\SecurityBundle\Security;
use Symfony\Contracts\EventDispatcher\EventDispatcherInterface;

class TenantSwitchService
{
    public function __construct(
        private TenantEntityManager $tenantEntityManager,
        private EventDispatcherInterface $eventDispatcher,
        private Security $security
    ) {}

    public function switchTenant(int $tenantId): void
    {
        $user = $this->security->getUser();

        if (!$user instanceof User) {
            throw new \Exception('User must be logged in to switch tenant');
        }

        if (!$this->userHasAccessToTenant($user, $tenantId)) {
            throw new \Exception('Failed to switch tenant: User does not have access to this tenant or tenant not found: ' . $tenantId);
        }

        // Dispatch event to switch database context
        $this->eventDispatcher->dispatch(new SwitchDbEvent($tenantId));
    }

    private function userHasAccessToTenant(User $user, int $tenantId): bool
    {
        foreach ($user->getEstablishments() as $establishment) {
            if ($establishment->getTenantId() === $tenantId) {
                return true;
            }
        }

        return false;
    }

    public function getCurrentTenantId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->tenantEntityManager->getCurrentTenantId();
    }

    public function getUserAccessibleTenants(User $user): array
    {
        $tenantIds = [];
        foreach ($user->getEstablishments() as $establishment) {
            $tenantIds[] = $establishment->getTenantId();
        }

        return $tenantIds;
    }
}

Tenant Access Control

Each user has access only to their establishments
Automatic rights verification during tenant switching
Complete data isolation between tenants
You can call this service inside a controller

Another method would be to implement an EventListener that could listen to HTTP requests, check the header and switch to the right tenant based on the provided X-Tenant-Id.

🧪 Testing

Test Structure

tests/
├── bootstrap.php
└── Service/
    └── TenantSwitchTest.php

<?php

namespace App\Tests\Service;

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
use App\Service\TenantSwitchService;
use App\Entity\Main\User;
use App\Entity\Main\Establishment;
use Hakam\MultiTenancyBundle\Doctrine\ORM\TenantEntityManager;
use Symfony\Contracts\EventDispatcher\EventDispatcherInterface;
use Symfony\Bundle\SecurityBundle\Security;

class TenantSwitchTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testSwitchTenantSuccess()
    {
        $tenantEntityManager = $this->createMock(TenantEntityManager::class);
        $eventDispatcher = $this->createMock(EventDispatcherInterface::class);
        $security = $this->createMock(Security::class);

        $user = new User();
        $establishment = new Establishment();
        $establishment->setTenantId(1);
        $user->addEstablishment($establishment);

        $security->expects($this->once())
            ->method('getUser')
            ->willReturn($user);

        $eventDispatcher->expects($this->once())
            ->method('dispatch');

        $tenantSwitch = new TenantSwitchService($tenantEntityManager, $eventDispatcher, $security);

        // This should not throw an exception
        $tenantSwitch->switchTenant(1);

        // If we reach here, the test passed
        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
    }

    public function testSwitchTenantNoAccess()
    {
        $tenantEntityManager = $this->createMock(TenantEntityManager::class);
        $eventDispatcher = $this->createMock(EventDispatcherInterface::class);
        $security = $this->createMock(Security::class);

        $user = new User();
        $establishment = new Establishment();
        $establishment->setTenantId(2);
        $user->addEstablishment($establishment);

        $security->expects($this->once())
            ->method('getUser')
            ->willReturn($user);

        $tenantSwitch = new TenantSwitchService($tenantEntityManager, $eventDispatcher, $security);

        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Failed to switch tenant: User does not have access to this tenant or tenant not found: 1');

        $tenantSwitch->switchTenant(1);
    }

    public function testSwitchTenantUnexistingTenant()
    {
        $tenantEntityManager = $this->createMock(TenantEntityManager::class);
        $eventDispatcher = $this->createMock(EventDispatcherInterface::class);
        $security = $this->createMock(Security::class);

        $user = new User();
        $establishment = new Establishment();
        $establishment->setTenantId(2);
        $user->addEstablishment($establishment);

        $security->expects($this->once())
            ->method('getUser')
            ->willReturn($user);

        $tenantSwitch = new TenantSwitchService($tenantEntityManager, $eventDispatcher, $security);

        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Failed to switch tenant: User does not have access to this tenant or tenant not found: 999');

        $tenantSwitch->switchTenant(999);
    }
}

Running Tests

# Unit tests
./vendor/bin/phpunit

📁 Project Structure

medical-app/
├── config/
│   ├── bundles.php
│   ├── packages/           # Bundle configuration
│   ├── routes/            # Routing configuration
│   └── services.yaml      # Services configuration
├── migrations/
│   ├── Main/             # Main database migrations
│   └── Tenant/           # Tenant database migrations
├── src/
│   ├── Controller/       # API and Web controllers
│   ├── Entity/
│   │   ├── Main/        # Global entities
│   │   └── Tenant/      # Tenant entities
│   ├── Repository/      # Doctrine repositories
│   ├── Service/         # Business services
│   └── DataFixtures/    # Test data
├── templates/           # Twig templates
└── tests/              # Automated tests

🎯 Conclusion

Implementing multi-tenancy in Symfony using the Hakam Multi-Tenancy Bundle provides a robust foundation for SaaS applications. The separate database approach offers:

Strong data isolation between tenants
Flexible scaling options per tenant
Enhanced security through physical separation
Simplified compliance with data protection regulations

While this approach requires more infrastructure management, it provides the highest level of tenant isolation and is ideal for applications handling sensitive data or requiring strict compliance standards.

The key to success is proper planning of your tenant architecture, thorough testing of tenant switching mechanisms, and implementing comprehensive monitoring and backup strategies for production deployments.

Who am I ?

I'm Thibault Beaumont, a passionate fullstack web developer specializing in Angular and Symfony, currently based in Paris. I love building high-performance, scalable applications and sharing my knowledge with the community. Curious to learn more about my work or get in touch? Check out my portfolio: thibaultbeaumont.dev

DEV Community: Thibault Beaumont