Multi-Tenant Architecture
Definition
Multi-tenant architecture runs many customers (tenants) on one shared software installation while keeping each tenant's data and settings separate. It is how SaaS platforms host thousands of stores without installing software for each one. The key design choice is how strictly tenants are isolated: a shared database with a tenant column, or a separate database per tenant.
Why it matters for your store
Multi-tenancy is why a hosted platform can be updated, secured, and backed up for everyone at once. It is also why you should ask how your data is separated from the next store's. In the common design, every store's rows sit in the same tables, distinguished by a store identifier. One missed filter in the code is a leak. Backups and deletions are partial by nature, because your data is interleaved with everyone else's.
A separate database per store is the stricter design. The same coding mistake produces an error instead of a leak. Backups can be taken and restored per store. Deleting a store means dropping its database, which is complete and provable. The cost is more operational work for the platform, which is why most platforms do not do it.
How Kambloo handles it
Every Kambloo store has its own MySQL database. The database user for a store is granted access to that database only, so a cross-store query is physically impossible rather than merely prevented by code. Cache keys, file storage paths, and background jobs carry the store context and are checked against it. Each store runs on its own hostname, so browser cookies and sessions are isolated too.
Backups are taken per store and can be restored per store. Deleting a store drops its database, purges its files and search index, and removes its domain configuration, after a 30-day cooling period.
All stores share one codebase. Releases are announced in the store panel and applied with the owner's approval, rolled out in stages, and rolled back automatically on failure. Security fixes can be applied without waiting.
Questions about Multi-Tenant Architecture
Is my store's data mixed with other stores' data?
Not on Kambloo. Each store has its own MySQL database. Your products, customers, and orders are never in the same table as another store's, and the database user for your store can only access your database.
What does multi-tenancy mean for updates?
All stores run the same code, so a security fix or new feature can reach every store quickly. On Kambloo, updates are announced in the panel and applied with the store owner's approval, with automatic rollback if something fails.