Real-world examples of hosting open source SaaS with PHP

Real examples of hosting open source SaaS in production

When people ask for examples of hosting open source SaaS, they don’t want toy demos. They want names, repos, and deployment stories that look like something they could run tomorrow.

Here are several real examples of open source projects that are commonly hosted as SaaS, including where PHP fits into the picture and how teams typically deploy them.

Example of hosting a PHP CRM as SaaS: SuiteCRM / Yetiforce

SuiteCRM and Yetiforce are classic PHP-based CRMs that many agencies quietly run as hosted SaaS for their clients.

A typical setup:

• Stack: PHP-FPM, Nginx or Apache, MariaDB/MySQL, Redis for caching.
• Deployment: One codebase, multiple customer databases (logical multitenancy).
• Isolation: Each tenant gets its own database schema; configs stored in environment variables or a central tenants table.

A small agency might:

• Host SuiteCRM on a managed VPS (for example, DigitalOcean or Linode).
• Use Ansible or a GitHub Actions workflow to deploy new releases.
• Run nightly database backups per tenant.

This is one of the best examples of examples of hosting open source SaaS with PHP because it shows a clear pattern: one shared codebase, many accounts, and simple database-level separation. It’s not fancy, but it’s proven.

Examples of open source billing SaaS: Invoice Ninja and Crater

If you want a concrete example of turning an open source app into a subscription service, look at Invoice Ninja (Laravel, PHP) and Crater.

Common hosting pattern:

• Single Laravel app container.
• Separate database per tenant, created on signup.
• A tenant-aware middleware layer that switches DB connections based on domain or subdomain.

Deployment notes:

• Docker Compose or Kubernetes for scaling web and worker containers.
• A queue system (Redis or Amazon SQS) for sending invoices and reminders.
• Object storage (Amazon S3 or equivalent) for invoice PDFs and logos.

For developers, these apps are great examples of hosting open source SaaS because the code is modern, well-structured, and already has multi-tenant logic you can study or adapt.

Analytics as a hosted open source SaaS: Matomo and Plausible

Matomo (PHP) and Plausible (Elixir) are widely used as privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternatives. Even if you’re focused on PHP, Matomo is a strong reference.

Typical SaaS-style deployment:

• PHP-FPM + Nginx fronted by a load balancer.
• MariaDB or MySQL for event data.
• Optional: separate analytics storage cluster as traffic grows.

Hosting strategies often include:

• Subdomain-per-customer tracking endpoints.
• API keys and site IDs to separate customer data.
• Background jobs to aggregate reports.

For your own products, Matomo is one of the best examples of examples of hosting open source SaaS at scale: it proves that a PHP analytics stack can handle high-traffic, multi-tenant workloads when architected carefully.

Project management and collaboration: OpenProject, Flarum, and Discourse clones

OpenProject (Ruby) and Discourse (Ruby) aren’t PHP, but they’re textbook examples of hosting open source SaaS in the real world. Many companies offer hosted versions, even though the code is open source.

How this translates to PHP:

• PHP-based forums like Flarum or Vanilla Forum can be run as hosted communities.
• Each tenant gets its own subdomain, theme, and database.
• A central admin panel lets you manage customers, quotas, and billing.

This pattern is common:

• One control panel app (often Laravel) for provisioning.
• One or more app clusters running the forum software.
• Reverse proxy routing traffic based on hostname.

If you’re building collaboration tools in PHP, these are real examples you can mirror: sell hosting, not licenses, and keep the core open.

Knowledge bases and docs as SaaS: Wiki.js and BookStack

BookStack is PHP-based and runs on Laravel, making it a friendly example of hosting open source SaaS for documentation or knowledge management.

A realistic SaaS-style deployment:

• Dockerized BookStack containers behind Nginx.
• Per-tenant database, plus per-tenant file storage bucket.
• Automated provisioning that:
  • Creates a DB.
  • Runs migrations.
  • Seeds an admin user.

This model is attractive because it’s straightforward to explain to non-technical customers: “We host your wiki for you, you log in and start writing.” From an architecture perspective, these are clean examples of hosting open source SaaS with PHP in a way that’s easy to scale horizontally.

PHP code snippet SaaS: turning snippets into a paid platform

Let’s get closer to the category you care about: PHP code snippets as a service.

Imagine you maintain an open source collection of PHP code snippets on GitHub—helpers for date handling, payment integrations, or PDF generation. You want to host it as a SaaS code toolbox where users can:

• Browse snippets.
• Generate ready-to-paste code.
• Store their own private snippets.
• Integrate via API.

An opinionated but realistic hosting model:

• Core app: Laravel or Symfony.
• API-first design so snippets can be consumed by editors or CI pipelines.
• Authentication via OAuth or JWT.
• Multitenancy handled by a user_id or team_id column on all relevant tables (row-level multitenancy).

From a business perspective, this is one of the more modern examples of examples of hosting open source SaaS: you keep the snippet library open on GitHub, but charge for hosted features like private collections, team access, and advanced search.

Multitenant architecture patterns in PHP SaaS

Many developers ask for examples of multitenancy when they start hosting open source SaaS. The good news is that PHP frameworks have converged on a few common patterns.

Common patterns include:

• Single database, tenant column:
  • Each row has a tenant_id.
  • Simple to manage, good for early-stage products.
• Database-per-tenant:
  • Each customer gets its own database.
  • Better isolation, easier GDPR/CCPA-style data export or delete.
• Schema-per-tenant (PostgreSQL):
  • Middle ground between the two; less common in pure PHP/MySQL stacks.

Projects like Laravel Tenancy (not .gov/.edu, but widely used) are practical examples of hosting open source SaaS with PHP where multitenancy is a first-class concern.

Operational best practices drawn from real examples

Across all these examples of hosting open source SaaS, a few operational themes repeat:

Automated provisioning
Customers expect signup to be instant. That means:

• A background job to create databases or schemas.
• Automatic DNS or subdomain assignment.
• Seeding default data and roles.

Zero-downtime deployments
When you’re hosting dozens or hundreds of tenants:

• Use rolling deployments (blue/green or canary).
• Run database migrations in a way that won’t lock tables for long.

Security and compliance awareness
Even if you’re not aiming for HIPAA or FedRAMP, you still need sane defaults:

• Strong password policies and 2FA options.
• Regular dependency updates.
• Clear data retention and export options.

For broader security and privacy guidance, it’s worth checking official resources like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the FTC’s data security guidance. They’re not PHP-specific, but they inform how serious SaaS providers handle risk.

Trends in hosting open source SaaS (2024–2025)

The 2024–2025 trend line is clear: more teams are treating open source as the engine and SaaS as the product.

A few patterns stand out:

• Hybrid licensing: Core stays open source, but certain hosting features (SAML SSO, advanced audit logs) are commercial add-ons.
• Managed hosting tiers: Customers can either self-host or pay you to run the software as a service.
• Compliance-ready hosting: Teams use guidance from organizations like NIST or university security offices (for example, Harvard’s information security resources) to tighten their SaaS environments.

For PHP developers, this shift means your open source project doesn’t have to stop at “here’s the code.” The best examples of examples of hosting open source SaaS show that a hosted tier can fund ongoing development while keeping the code itself visible.

PHP-focused examples of hosting open source SaaS

Let’s tighten the lens on PHP-specific stacks that developers often turn into SaaS offerings.

Laravel-based SaaS starter kits as real examples

Several open source Laravel SaaS starter kits are examples of hosting open source SaaS in miniature:

• They provide authentication, billing (Stripe/Braintree), teams, and roles.
• You can self-host them or deploy to a PaaS.
• The code is open, but the value is in how quickly you can launch.

You’ll see the same recurring implementation details:

• Tenant-aware middleware.
• teams or organizations tables.
• Stripe webhooks for subscription changes.

These are some of the best examples of examples of hosting open source SaaS for PHP specifically, because they’re designed with SaaS in mind from day one.

Turning a PHP monolith into a hosted SaaS

Many older PHP apps weren’t written as SaaS at all—they were single-tenant, single-customer deployments. Yet they still become good examples of hosted SaaS with a bit of refactoring.

Steps teams typically take:

• Extract all customer-specific configuration into the database or environment variables.
• Introduce a tenant identifier and wire it through queries.
• Add a signup flow, billing, and an admin panel.
• Containerize the app to make scaling and updates repeatable.

The result: the same old codebase, but now it’s one of your own examples of hosting open source SaaS, generating recurring revenue instead of one-off installation fees.

FAQ: examples of hosting open source SaaS

What are some concrete examples of hosting open source SaaS with PHP?

Common examples include SuiteCRM or Yetiforce for CRM, Invoice Ninja or Crater for billing and invoicing, Matomo for analytics, BookStack for documentation, and PHP-based forums like Flarum offered as a hosted community platform.

What is an example of a simple PHP SaaS I can launch quickly?

A focused example of a simple PHP SaaS is a hosted snippet manager or form builder built on Laravel. Start with user accounts, a single projects table keyed by user_id, and subscription billing via Stripe. The core logic stays open source; the hosted version adds uptime, backups, and support.

Are there examples of open source projects that offer both self-hosted and SaaS options?

Yes. Matomo, OpenProject, and many Laravel-based tools follow this pattern. They publish the code under an open license and also run a hosted service for customers who don’t want to manage servers, upgrades, or security patches.

How do I handle multitenancy when hosting open source SaaS in PHP?

Most real-world examples of hosting open source SaaS in PHP use either a tenant column on all tables or a database-per-tenant approach. Frameworks and packages like Laravel Tenancy help manage connection switching, migrations, and tenant discovery so you can focus on your application logic.

Where can I learn more about security for hosted SaaS platforms?

For high-level guidance, review the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and university security resources such as Harvard’s information security site. They cover risk management, access control, and incident response practices that you can adapt to your PHP-based SaaS environment.