SingleTenant

Singletenant, in software and cloud services, refers to a deployment model in which each customer operates on a separate instance of the application and its supporting infrastructure. In contrast to multi-tenant architectures, where many customers share a single instance and resources, singletenant provides data isolation and independent resource boundaries.

Key characteristics include dedicated compute, storage, and often separate databases or schemas for each tenant; the ability to customize application behavior and configurations without affecting others; and deployment options that may include on-premises, private cloud, or dedicated cloud instances. Some vendors implement singletenant deployments using containerized or virtualized environments within a shared cloud, but maintain isolation at the software and data layer.

Advantages include stronger data separation for compliance and security, predictable performance, and greater customization flexibility. Customers with strict regulatory requirements or complex integration needs may prefer singletenant due to easier data governance and control over upgrade timing.

Disadvantages include higher total cost of ownership, as resources are not shared across tenants, and increased maintenance overhead for the vendor and the customer, since each instance must be managed, updated, and backed up separately. Scalability can be more challenging and slower to roll out updates globally.

Common use cases include regulated industries such as finance or healthcare, enterprises requiring bespoke workflows, and clients needing strict data residency or isolation. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with “dedicated” or “single-tenant deployment,” though exact definitions vary by vendor.