.NET6 Multitenant with MediatR Design Pattern Starter Kit

Joever Monceda
6 min readApr 16, 2023

The Starker Kit

This starter kit is a .NET6 application with multitenant architecture and support multiple databases that has an application of MediatR design pattern and Generic Repository Pattern.
Automatic migration for each tenant is using Entity Framework Core feature.

What is Multitenant architecture?

Multi-tenant architecture refers to a software architecture in which a single instance of an application or system serves multiple tenants, or customers, while keeping their data and activities separate and secure from each other. Each tenant typically has its own isolated environment and resources, including data storage, configuration settings, and user interfaces, but they all share the same underlying application codebase and infrastructure.

In a multi-tenant architecture, the system is designed to handle multiple users or organizations, each with their own unique requirements, preferences, and data. This approach is commonly used in cloud computing, where multiple customers share the same physical resources, such as servers and databases, to reduce costs and improve scalability. Multi-tenant architecture can also be found in other types of software, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and content management systems (CMS).

https://github.com/Ethan0007/.NET6-Multitenant-MediatR-StarterKit

Multitenancy can be implemented in various technologies, including .NET 6, a framework for developing applications. Here are some of the pros and cons of using a multitenant architecture in .NET 6:

Pros:
1. Cost-effective: Multitenant architecture in .NET 6 allows multiple tenants to share the same resources and infrastructure, which results in lower costs for each tenant.

2. Scalability: .NET 6 has built-in support for multitenancy, which makes it easier to scale the application to accommodate more tenants and handle increased workloads.

3. Maintenance: Since .NET 6 has built-in support for multitenancy, maintenance and upgrades can be performed more easily and efficiently on a single instance of the software.

4. Customization: .NET 6 allows for customization of each tenant’s functionality and configuration settings, which provides greater flexibility and personalization for each tenant.

5. Security: .NET 6 offers several security features, such as role-based access control and data encryption, which can help to ensure data isolation and prevent unauthorized access.

Cons:
1. Learning curve: Multitenancy in .NET 6 requires a certain level of expertise and understanding of the framework, which can be challenging for developers who are new to the technology.

2. Performance issues: As with any multitenant architecture, the performance of the application may be affected as the number of tenants grows, which requires careful optimization and management.

3. Dependency on provider: Multitenant architecture in .NET 6 relies on the provider to manage and maintain the infrastructure and software, which can lead to a dependency on the provider for support and updates.

4. Compliance requirements: Multitenancy in .NET 6 may not meet certain compliance requirements, such as those related to data privacy and security, which could limit its suitability for certain applications.

Overall, implementing multitenancy in .NET 6 can offer many advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, scalability, and maintenance. However, it also comes with certain limitations and risks that must be carefully considered and addressed.

Database Isolation

The main advantage of a multi-tenant architecture with multiple databases is improved data isolation and security for each tenant.
Each tenant’s data is stored in a separate database, which provides a higher level of isolation than sharing a single database.
This means that if one tenant’s data is compromised, it is less likely to affect the data of other tenants.

Other benefits of a multi-tenant architecture with multiple databases include:

Improved scalability: With each tenant’s data stored in a separate database, it is easier to scale the application horizontally by adding more databases as needed.
Better performance: By separating the data of each tenant, it is possible to optimize the database and application specifically for the needs of that tenant, resulting in better performance overall.
Simplified data management: With each tenant’s data stored in a separate database, it is easier to manage backups, upgrades, and maintenance of the database.
Increased flexibility: Multitenant architecture with multiple databases allows for more customization and flexibility for each tenant, as each database can be configured to meet their specific needs.

Identifying Tenants

.NET6 application can identify the tenant by intercepting the incoming request and check the location of the tenant ID from Headers.

https://github.com/Ethan0007/.NET6-Multitenant-MediatR-StarterKit

MediatR Design Pattern

MediatR is a design pattern and open-source library for implementing the Mediator pattern in .NET applications. The Mediator pattern is a behavioral pattern that promotes loose coupling between components by using a mediator object to handle communication between them.

In the context of MediatR, a mediator is a central hub that receives requests from different parts of the application and routes them to the appropriate handler. Requests are represented as messages, which are simple classes that contain the necessary data for the request. Handlers are responsible for processing the messages and returning a response, if applicable.

The MediatR library provides a simple and flexible way to implement the Mediator pattern in .NET applications. It includes abstractions for defining messages and handlers, as well as a mediator object for dispatching messages to the appropriate handler. Additionally, MediatR supports pipelines, allowing you to intercept and modify messages before they are handled.

Overall, the MediatR pattern and library can help simplify the design and implementation of complex applications by promoting loose coupling and separation of concerns.

https://github.com/Ethan0007/.NET6-Multitenant-MediatR-StarterKit

EasyCaching

EasyCaching is an open-source caching library for .NET 6 applications. It provides a simple and consistent caching API that supports multiple cache providers, such as memory cache, Redis, and MongoDB. EasyCaching aims to simplify the process of adding caching to your .NET 6 applications. It provides a high-level abstraction over the underlying caching providers, allowing you to easily switch between them or use multiple providers at the same time. It also includes features such as cache synchronization, cache expiration, and cache dependencies. EasyCaching supports both in-memory and distributed caching, making it suitable for applications of all sizes. It includes a variety of cache providers, such as Redis, MongoDB, and SQLite, as well as support for custom cache providers. In addition to its caching capabilities, EasyCaching also includes features such as rate limiting, circuit breaking, and distributed locking, making it a versatile tool for building scalable and reliable applications. Overall, EasyCaching provides a simple and flexible way to add caching to your .NET 6 applications, with support for a variety of caching providers and additional features to improve application performance and reliability.

https://github.com/Ethan0007/.NET6-Multitenant-MediatR-StarterKit

Repository pattern

Repository pattern is a common architectural pattern used in .NET applications to abstract away the data access layer from the rest of the application. It provides a way to separate the business logic of an application from the persistence logic that interacts with the database.
In .NET 6, the repository pattern can be implemented using the Entity Framework Core (EF Core) ORM. EF Core provides an implementation of the repository pattern through its DbSet class, which is used to represent a collection of entities from the database.

GitHub

https://github.com/Ethan0007/.NET6-Multitenant-MediatR-StarterKit

The Author

https://github.com/Ethan0007
https://joever-monceda.medium.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joever-monceda-55242779/
https://stackoverflow.com/users/7573682/joever-e-monceda
https://www.nuget.org/profiles/joever.monceda

Looking for an award winning company for Software Engineering Consultancy? Come visit PointersBit Inc. https://www.facebook.com/pointersbit.
Located at San Miguel St, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental

--

--