What is provisioning?
The automated creation of a new customer's environment, database, instance, domain and credentials, from a repeatable definition.
Provisioning — Provisioning is the automated creation of a new customer environment, database, application instance, domain, credentials, initial configuration, from a definition. It is what makes "one instance per client" workable at scale.
Why it matters
Provisioning turns "spin up a new customer environment" from a hand-run project into a repeatable, automated action. It covers everything a new instance needs to exist and be usable. A database. An application instance. A domain or subdomain. Credentials. Whatever initial configuration the environment starts with. When this is automated from a single definition, adding a new customer means running that definition once, rather than a multi-day setup project.
Provisioning is also what makes a single-tenant, one-instance-per-client model realistic at scale. Running a separate instance per customer sounds costly to do by hand. It would be, if every instance were created through a manual checklist someone follows step by step. Automated provisioning removes that cost. Each new instance is an exact output of the same definition, applied the same way every time. The failure to watch for is a checklist masquerading as provisioning. Any step a person still performs by hand is a step that can be done differently, or forgotten, next time. That drift becomes the difference between one client's instance and another's.
What provisioning typically creates
- 1
A definition is specified
The settings for the new instance are chosen, such as which client and which configuration.
- 2
A database is created
A separate or scoped database is set up for the new instance.
- 3
An application instance is deployed
The software is stood up and connected to that database.
- 4
Domain and credentials are set
A domain or subdomain and access credentials are generated.
- 5
Initial configuration is applied
Any starting setup, such as a snapshot, is loaded in.
The mistake to watch for
Questions
- How is provisioning different from onboarding?
- Provisioning is the technical creation of the instance itself: database, instance, domain and credentials. Onboarding is the wider process of getting a new customer using the product. It includes provisioning as one step among training, data import and setup.
- Why does manual provisioning cause problems at scale?
- Every manual step in a checklist can be done slightly differently, skipped, or forgotten the next time. Client instances drift apart over time instead of staying the same.
- Does provisioning require single-tenant architecture?
- No. It is what makes single-tenant, one-instance-per-client setup practical at any real scale. Automation is what keeps the cost of a new instance low.