diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 79fe73f5be..d14d662029 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,17 +6,17 @@
 
 # `kind` - `k`ubernetes `in` `d`ocker
 
-`kind` is a tool for running local Kubernetes clusters using Docker container "nodes".  
+`kind` is a tool for running local Kubernetes clusters using container "nodes".
 `kind` is primarily designed for testing Kubernetes 1.11+, initially targeting the [conformance tests].
 
-If you have [go] and [docker] installed `go get sigs.k8s.io/kind && kind create cluster` is all you need!
+If you have [go] and [docker] or [podman] installed `go get sigs.k8s.io/kind && kind create cluster` is all you need!
 
 <img src="https://gist.githubusercontent.com/BenTheElder/621bc321fc6d9506fd936feb36d32dd0/raw/7fe14e9d0929cab428929ca6c501abc990c07359/kind-create-cluster.gif" alt="2x speed `kind create cluster` demo" />
 
 `kind` consists of:
  - Go [packages][packages] implementing [cluster creation][cluster package], [image build][build package], etc.
  - A command line interface ([`kind`][kind cli]) built on these packages.
- - Docker [image(s)][images] written to run systemd, Kubernetes, etc.
+ - Container [image(s)][images] written to run systemd, Kubernetes, etc.
  - [`kubetest`][kubetest] integration also built on these packages (WIP)
 
 `kind` bootstraps each "node" with [kubeadm][kubeadm]. For more details see [the design documentation][design doc].  
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ You can install `kind` with `go get sigs.k8s.io/kind`. This will put `kind` in
 shown [here](https://golang.org/doc/code.html#GOPATH) if you encounter the error
 `kind: command not found` after installation.
 
-To use `kind`, you will need to [install docker].  
-Once you have docker running you can create a cluster with `kind create cluster`  
+To use `kind`, you will need to [install docker] or [install podman].
+Once you have installed podman or have the docker service running you can create a cluster with `kind create cluster`
 To delete your cluster use `kind delete cluster`
 
 <!--TODO(bentheelder): improve this part of the guide-->
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ Participation in the Kubernetes community is governed by the [Kubernetes Code of
 <!--links-->
 [go]: https://golang.org/
 [docker]: https://www.docker.com/
+[podman]: https://podman.io/
 [community page]: http://kubernetes.io/community/
 [Kubernetes Code of Conduct]: code-of-conduct.md
 [Go Report Card Badge]: https://goreportcard.com/badge/sigs.k8s.io/kind
@@ -106,5 +107,6 @@ Participation in the Kubernetes community is governed by the [Kubernetes Code of
 [#kind]: https://kubernetes.slack.com/messages/CEKK1KTN2/
 [docs/roadmap.md]: ./docs/roadmap.md
 [install docker]: https://docs.docker.com/install/
+[install podman]: https://github.com/containers/libpod/install.md
 [@BenTheElder]: https://github.com/BenTheElder
 [@munnerz]: https://github.com/munnerz
diff --git a/docs/design/base-image.md b/docs/design/base-image.md
index 825cc3ec23..ff54834eb4 100644
--- a/docs/design/base-image.md
+++ b/docs/design/base-image.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # The Base Image
 
-The ["base" image][base image] is a small-ish Docker image for running
+The ["base" image][base image] is a small-ish container image for running
 nested containers, systemd, and kubernetes components.
 
 To do this we need to set up an environment that will meet the CRI 
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ To do this we need to set up an environment that will meet the CRI
 step we take is inline to the image's [Dockerfile][dockerfile]),
 but essentially:
 
-- we preinstall tools / packages expected by systemd / Docker / Kubernetes other
+- we preinstall tools / packages expected by systemd / container engine / Kubernetes other
 than Kubernetes itself
 
 - we install a custom entrypoint that allows us to perform some actions before
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ the container truly boots
 - we set up a systemd service to forward journal logs to the container tty
 
 - we do a few tricks to minimize unnecessary services and inform systemd that it
-is in docker (see the [Dockerfile][dockerfile])
+is in a container (see the [Dockerfile][dockerfile])
 
 This image is based on a minimal debian image (currently `k8s.gcr.io/debian-base`)
 due to high availability of tooling.  
diff --git a/docs/design/design.md b/docs/design/design.md
index 3d522ba666..4b13cb0131 100644
--- a/docs/design/design.md
+++ b/docs/design/design.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ This is the root design documentation for `kind`. See also the project
 ## Overview
 
 `kind` or **k**ubernetes **in** **d**ocker is a suite of tooling for local 
-Kubernetes "clusters" where each "node" is a Docker container.
+Kubernetes "clusters" where each "node" is a container.
 `kind` is targeted at testing Kubernetes.
 
 `kind` is divided into go packages implementing most of the functionality, a
@@ -35,10 +35,10 @@ In practice kind looks something like this:
 Clusters are managed by logic in [`pkg/cluster`][pkg/cluster], which the
 `kind` cli wraps.
 
-Each "cluster" is identified by an internal but well-known [docker object label](https://docs.docker.com/config/labels-custom-metadata/) key, with the cluster
+Each "cluster" is identified by an internal but well-known [container object label](https://docs.docker.com/config/labels-custom-metadata/) key, with the cluster
 name / ID as the value on each "node" container.
 
-We initially offload this type of state into the containers and Docker. 
+We initially offload this type of state into the containers.
 Similarly the container names are automatically managed by `kind`, though
 we will select over labels instead of names because these are less brittle and
 are properly namespaced. Doing this also avoids us needing to manage anything
@@ -63,17 +63,17 @@ For more see [node-image.md][node-image.md].
 
 ### Cluster Creation
 
-Each "node" runs as a docker container. Each container initially boots to a
+Each "node" runs as a container. Each container initially boots to a
 pseudo "paused" state, with [the entrypoint][entrypoint] waiting for `SIGUSR1`.
-This allows us to manipulate and inspect the container with `docker exec ...`
+This allows us to manipulate and inspect the container with eg `docker exec ...`
 and other tools prior to starting systemd and all of the components.
 
-This setup includes fixing mounts and pre-loading saved docker images.
+This setup includes fixing mounts and pre-loading saved container images.
 
 Once the nodes are sufficiently prepared, we signal the entrypoint to actually
 "boot" the node.
 
-We then wait for the Docker service to be ready on the node before running
+We then wait for the Docker service to be ready if we are using Docker on the node before running
 `kubeadm` to initialize the node.
 
 Once kubeadm has booted, we export the [KUBECONFIG][kubeconfig], then apply
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ At this point users can test Kubernetes by using the exported kubeconfig.
 
 ### Cluster Deletion
 
-All "node" containers in the cluster are tagged with docker labels identifying
+All "node" containers in the cluster are tagged with container labels identifying
 the cluster by the chosen cluster name (default is "1"), to delete a cluster
 we can simply list and delete containers with this label.
 
diff --git a/docs/design/node-image.md b/docs/design/node-image.md
index 3a1372f632..1bde832a35 100644
--- a/docs/design/node-image.md
+++ b/docs/design/node-image.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # The Node Image
 
-The ["node" image][node image] is a Docker image for running
+The ["node" image][node image] is a container image for running
 nested containers, systemd, and Kubernetes components.
 
 This image is built on top of the ["base" image][base image].
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ provides most of the tools statically needed for a kubernetes deployment
 (eg `systemd`), variants of this image have the following properties:
 
 - `/kind/images/` contains various `*.tar` files which are 
-[Docker image archives][docker image archives],
+[Container image archives][container image archives],
 these images will be loaded by the cluster tooling prior to running `kubeadm`
 
 - `kubeadm`, `kubectl`, `kubelet` are in the path
@@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ each "node" container with [kubeadm][kubeadm].
 [base image]: ./base-image.md
 [build package]: ./../../pkg/build
 [cluster package]: ./../../pkg/cluster
-[docker image archives]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/save/
+[container image archives]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/save/
 [systemd service]: https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.service.html
 [kubeadm]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/setup-tools/kubeadm/kubeadm/
diff --git a/docs/design/overview.md b/docs/design/overview.md
index 4954872835..4b5d267704 100644
--- a/docs/design/overview.md
+++ b/docs/design/overview.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Overview
 `kind` is a command-line application for building Kubernetes clusters using
-Docker containers as "nodes."
+ containers as "nodes."
 
 
 ## CLI
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ and setup logging.
 ├── pkg
 │   ├── build     # Build and manage images
 │   ├── cluster   # Build and manage clusters
-│   ├── docker    # Interact with Docker
+│   ├── container # Interact with container engines
 │   ├── exec      # Execute commands
 │   ├── fs        # Interact with the host file system
 │   ├── kustomize # Work with embedded kustomize commands
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ and setup logging.
 ```
 `kind` commands rely on the functionality of the [packages directory][pkg].
 Here, you will find everything needed to build container images for `kind`;
-create clusters from these images; interact with the Docker engine and file system; customize configuration files; and logging.
+create clusters from these images; interact with the container engine and file system; customize configuration files; and logging.
 
 
 
diff --git a/docs/devel/README.md b/docs/devel/README.md
index 23891e6df0..d1377943e1 100644
--- a/docs/devel/README.md
+++ b/docs/devel/README.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Before you being you must have:
 * [GitHub account][github]
 * `git`
 * `go`
-* `Docker`
+* `Container Engine`
 
 ## Task 1. Read the Kubernetes community guidelines
 Make sure to read you read the [Kubernetes community guidelines][community].
@@ -32,11 +32,13 @@ $ go version
 ```
 This documentation is written using Go version 1.11+.
 
-## Task 4. Install or upgrade Docker
+## Task 4. Install or upgrade Docker or Podman
 If you haven't already, install the 
 [Docker software using the instructions for your operating system][docker].
+or
+[Podman software using the instructions for your operating system][podman].
 If you have an existing installation, check your version and make sure you have
-the latest Docker.
+the latest Docker or Podman
 
 To check if `docker` is has been installed:
 ```
@@ -44,6 +46,12 @@ $ docker --version
 ```
 This documentation is written using Docker version 18.09.0.
 
+To check if `podman` is has been installed:
+```
+$ podman --version
+```
+This documentation is written using Podman version 0.12.1.
+
 
 
 [github]: https://github.com/
@@ -51,3 +59,4 @@ This documentation is written using Docker version 18.09.0.
 [contributor]: https://github.com/kubernetes/community/blob/master/contributors/guide/README.md
 [golang]: https://golang.org/doc/install
 [docker]: https://docs.docker.com/install/#supported-platforms
+[podman]: https://github.com/containers/libpod/install.md
diff --git a/docs/todo.md b/docs/todo.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b45ae585c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/todo.md
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# TODO
+
+A non-exhaustive list of tasks (in no-particular order) includes:
+- [x] basic single "node" clusters
+- [x] multiple clusters per host / named clusters
+- [x] user guide(s)
+  - [x] more detailed user guides for common usage
+  - [x] more detailed user guides for more advanced usage
+- [ ] preflight checks [WIP]
+- [ ] multi-node clusters
+- [x] cli command to list clusters
+- [x] support for multiple kubernetes builds:
+  - [x] bazel build from source
+  - [x] docker / make build from source
+  - [x] apt (upstream / official release packages)
+    - [ ] support for selecting a non-default package version
+- [ ] kubetest ingregration [WIP]
+- [ ] improved logging and error handling [WIP]
+- [x] continuous integration
+- [x] publish pre-built images to a registry
+- [x] pre-load images that are not from the build / possibly build more images
+  - [x] etcd
+  - [x] coreDNS
+  - [x] Kubernetes images for released builds
+  - [ ] overlay network images?
+- [ ] support multiple overlay networks
+- [x] support advanced configuration via config file
+  - [x] kubeadm config template override
+  - [x] node lifecycle hooks
+- [ ] more advanced network configuration (not docker0)
+- [ ] support for other CRI within the "node" containers (containerd, cri-o)
+- [ ] move all container engine functionality into a common package (`pkg/container`) [WIP]
+ - [ ] potentially move this to using the docker client library
+- [x] log dumping functionality / cli commands
+  - [ ] support audit logging
+- [ ] fake out all internals and unit test [WIP]
+- [ ] support for local registries
+- [ ] support for mounting extra directories
+
+# Wishlist
+
+Longer term / continually appealing items:
+
+- Improved documentation
+- Support for architectures / platforms other than linux / amd64 for the node images
+- Support for client platforms other than docker on linux / docker for mac
+- Less privileged containers or sharing a CRI via something like [containerd namespaces](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/blob/master/docs/namespaces.md), generally
+ better isolation
+- HA kubeadm / multiple control plane nodes
diff --git a/hack/build/push-base.sh b/hack/build/push-base.sh
index 98dcfd2975..500023d414 100755
--- a/hack/build/push-base.sh
+++ b/hack/build/push-base.sh
@@ -43,5 +43,6 @@ IMAGE="kindest/base:${TAG}"
 (set -x; "${KIND}" build base-image --image="${IMAGE}")
 
 # push
-docker push "${IMAGE}"
+ENGINE=$(command -v podman 2> /dev/null || echo docker)
+${ENGINE} push "${IMAGE}"
 
diff --git a/hack/build/push-node.sh b/hack/build/push-node.sh
index 0f4ea9c052..92da579bb0 100755
--- a/hack/build/push-node.sh
+++ b/hack/build/push-node.sh
@@ -44,10 +44,11 @@ set -x
 
 # re-tag with kubernetes version
 IMG="kindest/node:${TAG}"
-KUBE_VERSION="$(docker run --rm --entrypoint=cat "${IMG}" /kind/version)"
-docker tag "${IMG}" "kindest/node:${KUBE_VERSION}"
+ENGINE=$(command -v podman 2> /dev/null || echo docker)
+KUBE_VERSION="$(${ENGINE} run --rm --entrypoint=cat "${IMG}" /kind/version)"
+${ENGINE} tag "${IMG}" "kindest/node:${KUBE_VERSION}"
 
 # push
-docker push kindest/node:"${KUBE_VERSION}"
+${ENGINE} push kindest/node:"${KUBE_VERSION}"
 
 
diff --git a/pkg/build/base/base.go b/pkg/build/base/base.go
index f7287a17db..c4151de0f3 100644
--- a/pkg/build/base/base.go
+++ b/pkg/build/base/base.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/build/base/sources"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/fs"
 )
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) Build() (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// then the actual docker image
+	// then the actual container image
 	return c.buildImage(buildDir)
 }
 
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildEntrypoint(dir string) error {
 	entrypointDest := filepath.Join(dir, "entrypoint", "entrypoint")
 
 	cmd := exec.Command(c.goCmd, "build", "-o", entrypointDest, entrypointSrc)
-	// TODO(bentheelder): we may need to map between docker image arch and GOARCH
+	// TODO(bentheelder): we may need to map between container image arch and GOARCH
 	cmd.SetEnv("GOOS=linux", "GOARCH="+c.arch)
 
 	// actually build
@@ -136,14 +137,14 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildEntrypoint(dir string) error {
 
 func (c *BuildContext) buildImage(dir string) error {
 	// build the image, tagged as tagImageAs, using the our tempdir as the context
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", "build", "-t", c.image, dir)
-	log.Info("Starting Docker build ...")
+	cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine, "build", "-t", c.image, dir)
+	log.Info("Starting container image build ...")
 	exec.InheritOutput(cmd)
 	err := cmd.Run()
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Errorf("Docker build Failed! %v", err)
+		log.Errorf("Container image build Failed! %v", err)
 		return err
 	}
-	log.Info("Docker build completed.")
+	log.Info("Container image build completed.")
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/build/node/node.go b/pkg/build/node/node.go
index 28ccd896ea..44d43016d7 100644
--- a/pkg/build/node/node.go
+++ b/pkg/build/node/node.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import (
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/build/kube"
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/docker"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/fs"
 )
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ const DefaultMode = "docker"
 // Option is BuildContext configuration option supplied to NewBuildContext
 type Option func(*BuildContext)
 
+func init() {
+	container.Engine = DefaultMode
+}
+
 // WithImage configures a NewBuildContext to tag the built image with `image`
 func WithImage(image string) Option {
 	return func(b *BuildContext) {
@@ -152,7 +156,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) Build() (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// then the perform the actual docker image build
+	// then the perform the actual container image build
 	return c.buildImage(buildDir)
 }
 
@@ -184,7 +188,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) getBuiltImages() (sets.String, error) {
 	images := sets.NewString()
 	for src, dest := range bitPaths {
 		if imageRegex.MatchString(dest) {
-			tags, err := docker.GetArchiveTags(src)
+			tags, err := container.GetArchiveTags(src)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -197,9 +201,9 @@ func (c *BuildContext) getBuiltImages() (sets.String, error) {
 // BuildContainerLabelKey is applied to each build container
 const BuildContainerLabelKey = "io.k8s.sigs.kind.build"
 
-// DockerImageArchives is the path within the node image where image archives
+// ContainerImageArchives is the path within the node image where image archives
 // will be stored.
-const DockerImageArchives = "/kind/images"
+const ContainerImageArchives = "/kind/images"
 
 // private kube.InstallContext implementation, local to the image build
 type installContext struct {
@@ -215,7 +219,7 @@ func (ic *installContext) BasePath() string {
 
 func (ic *installContext) Run(command string, args ...string) error {
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker",
+		container.Engine,
 		append(
 			[]string{"exec", ic.containerID, command},
 			args...,
@@ -227,7 +231,7 @@ func (ic *installContext) Run(command string, args ...string) error {
 
 func (ic *installContext) CombinedOutputLines(command string, args ...string) ([]string, error) {
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker",
+		container.Engine,
 		append(
 			[]string{"exec", ic.containerID, command},
 			args...,
@@ -240,7 +244,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildImage(dir string) error {
 	// build the image, tagged as tagImageAs, using the our tempdir as the context
 	log.Info("Starting image build ...")
 	// create build container
-	// NOTE: we are using docker run + docker commit so we can install
+	// NOTE: we are using ContainerEngine run + ContainerEngine commit so we can install
 	// debians without permanently copying them into the image.
 	// if docker gets proper squash support, we can rm them instead
 	// This also allows the KubeBit implementations to perform programmatic
@@ -249,7 +253,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildImage(dir string) error {
 	// ensure we will delete it
 	if containerID != "" {
 		defer func() {
-			exec.Command("docker", "rm", "-f", "-v", containerID).Run()
+			exec.Command(container.Engine, "rm", "-f", "-v", containerID).Run()
 		}()
 	}
 	if err != nil {
@@ -259,7 +263,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildImage(dir string) error {
 
 	// helper we will use to run "build steps"
 	execInBuild := func(command ...string) error {
-		cmd := exec.Command("docker",
+		cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine,
 			append(
 				[]string{"exec", containerID},
 				command...,
@@ -306,7 +310,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) buildImage(dir string) error {
 	}
 
 	// Save the image changes to a new image
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", "commit", containerID, c.image)
+	cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine, "commit", containerID, c.image)
 	exec.InheritOutput(cmd)
 	if err = cmd.Run(); err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("Image build Failed! %v", err)
@@ -328,7 +332,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) prePullImages(dir, containerID string) error {
 
 	// helpers to run things in the build container
 	execInBuild := func(command ...string) error {
-		cmd := exec.Command("docker",
+		cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine,
 			append(
 				[]string{"exec", containerID},
 				command...,
@@ -338,7 +342,7 @@ func (c *BuildContext) prePullImages(dir, containerID string) error {
 		return cmd.Run()
 	}
 	combinedOutputLinesInBuild := func(command ...string) ([]string, error) {
-		cmd := exec.Command("docker",
+		cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine,
 			append(
 				[]string{"exec", containerID},
 				command...,
@@ -394,14 +398,14 @@ func (c *BuildContext) prePullImages(dir, containerID string) error {
 	for i, image := range requiredImages {
 		if !builtImages.Has(image) {
 			fmt.Printf("Pulling: %s\n", image)
-			err := docker.Pull(image, 2)
+			err := container.Pull(image, 2)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 			// TODO(bentheelder): generate a friendlier name
 			pullName := fmt.Sprintf("%d.tar", i)
 			pullTo := path.Join(imagesDir, pullName)
-			err = docker.Save(image, pullTo)
+			err = container.Save(image, pullTo)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -410,17 +414,17 @@ func (c *BuildContext) prePullImages(dir, containerID string) error {
 	}
 
 	// Create the /kind/images directory inside the container.
-	if err = execInBuild("mkdir", "-p", DockerImageArchives); err != nil {
+	if err = execInBuild("mkdir", "-p", ContainerImageArchives); err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("Image build Failed! %v", err)
 		return err
 	}
-	movePulled = append(movePulled, DockerImageArchives)
+	movePulled = append(movePulled, ContainerImageArchives)
 	if err := execInBuild(movePulled...); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// make sure we own the tarballs
 	// TODO(bentheelder): someday we might need a different user ...
-	if err = execInBuild("chown", "-R", "root:root", DockerImageArchives); err != nil {
+	if err = execInBuild("chown", "-R", "root:root", ContainerImageArchives); err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("Image build Failed! %v", err)
 		return err
 	}
@@ -430,8 +434,8 @@ func (c *BuildContext) prePullImages(dir, containerID string) error {
 func (c *BuildContext) createBuildContainer(buildDir string) (id string, err error) {
 	// attempt to explicitly pull the image if it doesn't exist locally
 	// we don't care if this errors, we'll still try to run which also pulls
-	_, _ = docker.PullIfNotPresent(c.baseImage, 4)
-	id, err = docker.Run(
+	_, _ = container.PullIfNotPresent(c.baseImage, 4)
+	id, err = container.Run(
 		c.baseImage,
 		[]string{
 			"-d", // make the client exit while the container continues to run
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/context.go b/pkg/cluster/context.go
index d3d31a567d..ee42a6bcb7 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/context.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/context.go
@@ -34,13 +34,11 @@ import (
 	logutil "sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/log"
 )
 
-// Context is used to create / manipulate kubernetes-in-docker clusters
-// See: NewContext()
 type Context struct {
 	*meta.ClusterMeta
 }
 
-// similar to valid docker container names, but since we will prefix
+// similar to valid container names, but since we will prefix
 // and suffix this name, we can relax it a little
 // see NewContext() for usage
 // https://godoc.org/github.com/docker/docker/daemon/names#pkg-constants
@@ -100,7 +98,7 @@ func (c *Context) ClusterName() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("kind-%s", c.Name())
 }
 
-// Create provisions and starts a kubernetes-in-docker cluster
+// Create provisions and starts a kind cluster
 func (c *Context) Create(cfg *config.Config, retain bool, wait time.Duration) error {
 	// default config fields (important for usage as a library, where the config
 	// may be constructed in memory rather than from disk)
@@ -175,7 +173,7 @@ func (c *Context) Create(cfg *config.Config, retain bool, wait time.Duration) er
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Delete tears down a kubernetes-in-docker cluster
+// Delete tears down a kind cluster
 func (c *Context) Delete() error {
 	n, err := c.ListNodes()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/doc.go b/pkg/cluster/doc.go
index af19392fde..9ef9420339 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/doc.go
@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-// Package cluster implements kind kubernetes-in-docker cluster management
+// Package cluster implements kind cluster management
 package cluster
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/internal/create/createcontext.go b/pkg/cluster/internal/create/createcontext.go
index 9dcf7a0653..6e6b1ca180 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/internal/create/createcontext.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/internal/create/createcontext.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/config"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/internal/meta"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/nodes"
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/docker"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	logutil "sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/log"
 )
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ type Context struct {
 	WaitForReady time.Duration // Wait for the control plane node to be ready.
 }
 
-// Exec actions on kubernetes-in-docker cluster
+// Exec actions on KIND cluster
 // TODO(bentheelder): refactor this further
 // Actions are repetitive, high level abstractions/workflows composed
 // by one or more lower level tasks, that automatically adapt to the
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ func (cc *Context) EnsureNodeImages() {
 
 		// attempt to explicitly pull the image if it doesn't exist locally
 		// we don't care if this errors, we'll still try to run which also pulls
-		_, _ = docker.PullIfNotPresent(configNode.Image, 4)
+		_, _ = container.PullIfNotPresent(configNode.Image, 4)
 
 		// marks the images as already pulled
 		images[configNode.Image] = true
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/logs/logs.go b/pkg/cluster/logs/logs.go
index 7e36e30490..8d09271ee7 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/logs/logs.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/logs/logs.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/nodes"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/util"
 )
@@ -56,10 +57,10 @@ func Collect(nodes []nodes.Node, dir string) error {
 	// construct a slice of methods to collect logs
 	fns := []errFn{
 		// TODO(bentheelder): record the kind version here as well
-		// record info about the host docker
+		// record info about the host container engine
 		execToPathFn(
-			exec.Command("docker", "info"),
-			"docker-info.txt",
+			exec.Command(container.Engine, "info"),
+			"container-info.txt",
 		),
 	}
 	// add a log collection method for each node
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ func Collect(nodes []nodes.Node, dir string) error {
 			return coalesce(
 				// record info about the node container
 				execToPathFn(
-					exec.Command("docker", "inspect", name),
+					exec.Command(container.Engine, "inspect", name),
 					filepath.Join(name, "inspect.json"),
 				),
 				// grab all of the node logs
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ func Collect(nodes []nodes.Node, dir string) error {
 					filepath.Join(name, "docker.log"),
 				),
 				// grab all container / pod logs
-				// NOTE: we cannot just docker cp this directory because
+				// NOTE: we cannot just cp this directory because
 				// it is mostly symlinks, so we must list and resolve the symlinks
 				func() error {
 					// collect up file names
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/nodes/create.go b/pkg/cluster/nodes/create.go
index 9ba8904105..72dec9c99a 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/nodes/create.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/nodes/create.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/internal/haproxy"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/internal/kubeadm"
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/docker"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 )
 
 // FromID creates a node handle from the node (container's) ID
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func createNode(name, image, clusterLabel string, extraArgs ...string) (handle *
 		// running containers in a container requires privileged
 		// NOTE: we could try to replicate this with --cap-add, and use less
 		// privileges, but this flag also changes some mounts that are necessary
-		// including some ones docker would otherwise do by default.
+		// including some ones the container engine would otherwise do by default.
 		// for now this is what we want. in the future we may revisit this.
 		"--privileged",
 		"--security-opt", "seccomp=unconfined", // also ignore seccomp
@@ -129,13 +129,13 @@ func createNode(name, image, clusterLabel string, extraArgs ...string) (handle *
 	// adds node specific args
 	runArgs = append(runArgs, extraArgs...)
 
-	if docker.UsernsRemap() {
+	if container.UsernsRemap() {
 		// We need this argument in order to make this command work
 		// in systems that have userns-remap enabled on the docker daemon
 		runArgs = append(runArgs, "--userns=host")
 	}
 
-	id, err := docker.Run(
+	id, err := container.Run(
 		image,
 		runArgs,
 		[]string{
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func createNode(name, image, clusterLabel string, extraArgs ...string) (handle *
 		}
 	}
 	if err != nil {
-		return handle, errors.Wrap(err, "docker run error")
+		return handle, errors.Wrap(err, "container run error")
 	}
 
 	// Deletes the machine-id embedded in the node image and regenerate a new one.
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/nodes/node.go b/pkg/cluster/nodes/node.go
index 59599e7476..4b5e9121b5 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/nodes/node.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/nodes/node.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import (
 
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/version"
 
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/docker"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 )
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ import (
 // It should not be manually instantiated
 // Node impleemnts exec.Cmder
 type Node struct {
-	// must be one of docker container ID or name
+	// must be one of container ID or name
 	nameOrID string
 	// cached node info etc.
 	nodeCache
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ type Node struct {
 // assert Node implements Cmder
 var _ exec.Cmder = &Node{}
 
-// Cmder returns an exec.Cmder that runs on the node via docker exec
+// Cmder returns an exec.Cmder that runs on the node via ContainerEngine exec
 func (n *Node) Cmder() exec.Cmder {
 	if n.nodeCache.containerCmder == nil {
-		n.nodeCache.containerCmder = docker.ContainerCmder(n.nameOrID)
+		n.nodeCache.containerCmder = container.Cmder(n.nameOrID)
 	}
 	return n.nodeCache.containerCmder
 }
@@ -80,12 +80,12 @@ func (n *Node) String() string {
 // SignalStart sends SIGUSR1 to the node, which signals our entrypoint to boot
 // see images/node/entrypoint
 func (n *Node) SignalStart() error {
-	return docker.Kill("SIGUSR1", n.nameOrID)
+	return container.Kill("SIGUSR1", n.nameOrID)
 }
 
 // CopyTo copies the source file on the host to dest on the node
 func (n *Node) CopyTo(source, dest string) error {
-	return docker.CopyTo(source, n.nameOrID, dest)
+	return container.CopyTo(source, n.nameOrID, dest)
 }
 
 // CopyFrom copies the source file on the node to dest on the host
@@ -93,12 +93,15 @@ func (n *Node) CopyTo(source, dest string) error {
 //     but this should go away when kubeadm automatic copy certs lands,
 //     otherwise it should be refactored in something more robust in the long term
 func (n *Node) CopyFrom(source, dest string) error {
-	return docker.CopyFrom(n.nameOrID, source, dest)
+	return container.CopyFrom(n.nameOrID, source, dest)
 }
 
 // WaitForDocker waits for Docker to be ready on the node
 // it returns true on success, and false on a timeout
 func (n *Node) WaitForDocker(until time.Time) bool {
+	if container.Engine != "docker" {
+		return true
+	}
 	return tryUntil(until, func() bool {
 		cmd := n.Command("systemctl", "is-active", "docker")
 		out, err := exec.CombinedOutputLines(cmd)
@@ -120,16 +123,16 @@ func tryUntil(until time.Time, try func() bool) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-// LoadImages loads image tarballs stored on the node into docker on the node
+// LoadImages loads image tarballs stored on the node into container storage on the node
 func (n *Node) LoadImages() {
-	// load images cached on the node into docker
+	// load images cached on the node into Container Storage
 	if err := n.Command(
 		"find",
 		"/kind/images",
 		"-name", "*.tar",
-		"-exec", "docker", "load", "-i", "{}", ";",
+		"-exec", container.Engine, "load", "-i", "{}", ";",
 	).Run(); err != nil {
-		log.Warningf("Failed to preload docker images: %v", err)
+		log.Warningf("Failed to preload container images: %v", err)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -153,17 +156,17 @@ func (n *Node) LoadImages() {
 	// TODO(bentheelder): this is a bit gross, move this logic out of bash
 	if err := n.Command(
 		"/bin/bash", "-c",
-		`docker images --format='{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}' | grep -v amd64 | xargs -L 1 -I '{}' /bin/bash -c 'docker tag "{}" "$(echo "{}" | sed s/:/-amd64:/)"'`,
+		fmt.Sprintf(`%s images --format='{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}' | grep -v amd64 | xargs -L 1 -I '{}' /bin/bash -c '%s tag "{}" "$(echo "{}" | sed s/:/-amd64:/)"'`, container.Engine, container.Engine),
 	).Run(); err != nil {
-		log.Warningf("Failed to re-tag docker images: %v", err)
+		log.Warningf("Failed to re-tag container images: %v", err)
 	}
 }
 
 // FixMounts will correct mounts in the node container to meet the right
-// sharing and permissions for systemd and Docker / Kubernetes
+// sharing and permissions for systemd and Containers / Kubernetes
 func (n *Node) FixMounts() error {
 	// Check if userns-remap is enabled
-	if docker.UsernsRemap() {
+	if container.UsernsRemap() {
 		// The binary /bin/mount should be owned by root:root in order to execute
 		// the following mount commands
 		if err := n.Command("chown", "root:root", "/bin/mount").Run(); err != nil {
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ func (n *Node) FixMounts() error {
 
 	// systemd-in-a-container should have read only /sys
 	// https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/ContainerInterface/
-	// however, we need other things from `docker run --privileged` ...
+	// however, we need other things from `container run --privileged` ...
 	// and this flag also happens to make /sys rw, amongst other things
 	if err := n.Command("mount", "-o", "remount,ro", "/sys").Run(); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -221,7 +224,7 @@ func (n *Node) IP() (ip string, err error) {
 		return n.nodeCache.ip, nil
 	}
 	// retrive the IP address of the node using docker inspect
-	lines, err := docker.Inspect(n.nameOrID, "{{range .NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}")
+	lines, err := container.Inspect(n.nameOrID, "{{range .NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}")
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get file")
 	}
@@ -241,7 +244,7 @@ func (n *Node) Ports(containerPort int) (hostPort int, err error) {
 		return hostPort, nil
 	}
 	// retrive the specific port mapping using docker inspect
-	lines, err := docker.Inspect(n.nameOrID, fmt.Sprintf("{{(index (index .NetworkSettings.Ports \"%d/tcp\") 0).HostPort}}", containerPort))
+	lines, err := container.Inspect(n.nameOrID, fmt.Sprintf("{{(index (index .NetworkSettings.Ports \"%d/tcp\") 0).HostPort}}", containerPort))
 	if err != nil {
 		return -1, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get file")
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/nodes/nodes.go b/pkg/cluster/nodes/nodes.go
index e0d021671c..c8b6988d9d 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/nodes/nodes.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/nodes/nodes.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/cluster/constants"
-
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/container"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 )
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func Delete(nodes ...Node) error {
 		ids = append(ids, node.nameOrID)
 	}
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker",
+		container.Engine,
 		append(
 			[]string{
 				"rm",
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ func Delete(nodes ...Node) error {
 }
 
 // List returns the list of container IDs for the kind "nodes", optionally
-// filtered by docker ps filters
+// filtered by container engine ps filters
 // https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/ps/#filtering
 func List(filters ...string) ([]Node, error) {
 	res := []Node{}
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func list(visit func(string, *Node), filters ...string) error {
 	for _, filter := range filters {
 		args = append(args, "--filter", filter)
 	}
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", args...)
+	cmd := exec.Command(container.Engine, args...)
 	lines, err := exec.CombinedOutputLines(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to list nodes")
diff --git a/pkg/docker/archive.go b/pkg/container/archive.go
similarity index 89%
rename from pkg/docker/archive.go
rename to pkg/container/archive.go
index 8d6bb5a39a..a26769bf25 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/archive.go
+++ b/pkg/container/archive.go
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-// Package docker contains helpers for working with docker
+// Package container contains helpers for working with container engines
 // This package has no stability guarantees whatsoever!
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"archive/tar"
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
-// GetArchiveTags obtains a list of "repo:tag" docker image tags from a
-// given docker image archive (tarball) path
+// GetArchiveTags obtains a list of "repo:tag" container image tags from a
+// given container image archive (tarball) path
 // compatible with all known specs:
 // https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/image/spec/v1.0.md
 // https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/image/spec/v1.1.md
diff --git a/pkg/docker/cp.go b/pkg/container/cp.go
similarity index 95%
rename from pkg/docker/cp.go
rename to pkg/container/cp.go
index 3496425002..eb0b0944c1 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/cp.go
+++ b/pkg/container/cp.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 // CopyTo copies the file at hostPath to the container at destPath
 func CopyTo(hostPath, containerNameOrID, destPath string) error {
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker", "cp",
+		Engine, "cp",
 		hostPath,                       // from the source file
 		containerNameOrID+":"+destPath, // to the node, at dest
 	)
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func CopyTo(hostPath, containerNameOrID, destPath string) error {
 // CopyFrom copies the file or dir in the container at srcPath to the host at hostPath
 func CopyFrom(containerNameOrID, srcPath, hostPath string) error {
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker", "cp",
+		Engine, "cp",
 		containerNameOrID+":"+srcPath, // from the node, at src
 		hostPath,                      // to the host
 	)
diff --git a/pkg/docker/doc.go b/pkg/container/doc.go
similarity index 87%
rename from pkg/docker/doc.go
rename to pkg/container/doc.go
index a4a2b89325..8cc4540267 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/doc.go
+++ b/pkg/container/doc.go
@@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-// Package docker contains helpers for working with docker
+// Package container contains helpers for working with container engines
 // This package has no stability guarantees whatsoever!
-package docker
+package container
diff --git a/pkg/docker/exec.go b/pkg/container/exec.go
similarity index 86%
rename from pkg/docker/exec.go
rename to pkg/container/exec.go
index 5d12450274..c5eebc3d1a 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/exec.go
+++ b/pkg/container/exec.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"io"
@@ -22,13 +22,13 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 )
 
-// containerCmder implements exec.Cmder for docker containers
+// containerCmder implements exec.Cmder for containers
 type containerCmder struct {
 	nameOrID string
 }
 
-// ContainerCmder creates a new exec.Cmder against a docker container
-func ContainerCmder(containerNameOrID string) exec.Cmder {
+// Cmder creates a new exec.Cmder against a container
+func Cmder(containerNameOrID string) exec.Cmder {
 	return &containerCmder{
 		nameOrID: containerNameOrID,
 	}
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func (c *containerCmder) Command(command string, args ...string) exec.Cmd {
 	}
 }
 
-// containerCmd implements exec.Cmd for docker containers
+// containerCmd implements exec.Cmd for containers
 type containerCmd struct {
 	nameOrID string // the container name or ID
 	command  string
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func (c *containerCmd) Run() error {
 		args = append(args, "-e", env)
 	}
 	// specify the container and command, after this everything will be
-	// args the the command in the container rather than to docker
+	// args the the command in the container rather than to container engine
 	args = append(
 		args,
 		c.nameOrID, // ... against the container
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func (c *containerCmd) Run() error {
 		// finally, with the caller args
 		c.args...,
 	)
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", args...)
+	cmd := exec.Command(Engine, args...)
 	if c.stdin != nil {
 		cmd.SetStdin(c.stdin)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/container/init.go b/pkg/container/init.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c0029334a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/container/init.go
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+// Package container contains helpers for working with container engines
+// This package has no stability guarantees whatsoever!
+package container
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+)
+
+// Engine is the container engine to use to launch containers
+// Currently we support podman and docker.  Kind will use podman if it is
+// found in $PATH else it fall back to docker.
+var Engine string
+
+func init() {
+	if Engine = os.Getenv("KIND_ENGINE"); Engine != "" {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, engine := range []string{"docker", "podman"} {
+		var err error
+		if Engine, err = exec.LookPath(engine); err == nil {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	Engine = "docker"
+}
diff --git a/pkg/docker/inspect.go b/pkg/container/inspect.go
similarity index 93%
rename from pkg/docker/inspect.go
rename to pkg/container/inspect.go
index e5ef40424d..f4eac42a5b 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/inspect.go
+++ b/pkg/container/inspect.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 // Inspect return low-level information on containers
 func Inspect(containerNameOrID, format string) ([]string, error) {
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", "inspect",
+	cmd := exec.Command(Engine, "inspect",
 		"-f", // format
 		fmt.Sprintf("'%s'", format),
 		containerNameOrID, // ... against the "node" container
diff --git a/pkg/docker/kill.go b/pkg/container/kill.go
similarity index 95%
rename from pkg/docker/kill.go
rename to pkg/container/kill.go
index c3ce2a4675..8f634b2fe3 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/kill.go
+++ b/pkg/container/kill.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 // Kill sends the named signal to the container
 func Kill(signal, containerNameOrID string) error {
 	cmd := exec.Command(
-		"docker", "kill",
+		Engine, "kill",
 		"-s", signal,
 		containerNameOrID,
 	)
diff --git a/pkg/docker/pull.go b/pkg/container/pull.go
similarity index 90%
rename from pkg/docker/pull.go
rename to pkg/container/pull.go
index cc48945f88..280592836b 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/pull.go
+++ b/pkg/container/pull.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"time"
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func PullIfNotPresent(image string, retries int) (pulled bool, err error) {
 	// TODO(bentheelder): switch most (all) of the logging here to debug level
 	// once we have configurable log levels
 	// if this did not return an error, then the image exists locally
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", "inspect", "--type=image", image)
+	cmd := exec.Command(Engine, "inspect", "--type=image", image)
 	if err := cmd.Run(); err == nil {
 		log.Infof("Image: %s present locally", image)
 		return false, nil
@@ -43,14 +43,14 @@ func PullIfNotPresent(image string, retries int) (pulled bool, err error) {
 // Pull pulls an image, retrying up to retries times
 func Pull(image string, retries int) error {
 	log.Infof("Pulling image: %s ...", image)
-	err := exec.Command("docker", "pull", image).Run()
+	err := exec.Command(Engine, "pull", image).Run()
 	// retry pulling up to retries times if necessary
 	if err != nil {
 		for i := 0; i < retries; i++ {
 			time.Sleep(time.Second * time.Duration(i+1))
 			log.WithError(err).Infof("Trying again to pull image: %s ...", image)
 			// TODO(bentheelder): add some backoff / sleep?
-			err = exec.Command("docker", "pull", image).Run()
+			err = exec.Command(Engine, "pull", image).Run()
 			if err == nil {
 				break
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/docker/run.go b/pkg/container/run.go
similarity index 78%
rename from pkg/docker/run.go
rename to pkg/container/run.go
index 785ab194ff..7bdf4da473 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/run.go
+++ b/pkg/container/run.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"regexp"
@@ -25,17 +25,17 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 )
 
-// Docker container IDs are hex, more than one character, and on their own line
+// Container IDs are hex, more than one character, and on their own line
 var containerIDRegex = regexp.MustCompile("^[a-f0-9]+$")
 
-// Run creates a container with "docker run", with some error handling
+// Run creates a container with "ContainerEngine run", with some error handling
 // it will return the ID of the created container if any, even on error
 func Run(image string, runArgs []string, containerArgs []string) (id string, err error) {
 	args := []string{"run"}
 	args = append(args, runArgs...)
 	args = append(args, image)
 	args = append(args, containerArgs...)
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", args...)
+	cmd := exec.Command(Engine, args...)
 	output, err := exec.CombinedOutputLines(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		// log error output if there was any
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ func Run(image string, runArgs []string, containerArgs []string) (id string, err
 		}
 		return "", err
 	}
-	// if docker created a container the id will be the first line and match
+	// if the container engine created a container the id will be the first line and match
 	// validate the output and get the id
 	if len(output) < 1 {
-		return "", errors.New("failed to get container id, received no output from docker run")
+		return "", errors.Errorf("failed to get container id, received no output from %s run", Engine)
 	}
 	if !containerIDRegex.MatchString(output[0]) {
 		return "", errors.Errorf("failed to get container id, output did not match: %v", output)
diff --git a/pkg/docker/save.go b/pkg/container/save.go
similarity index 83%
rename from pkg/docker/save.go
rename to pkg/container/save.go
index ded4737756..d275f6bb74 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/save.go
+++ b/pkg/container/save.go
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kind/pkg/exec"
 )
 
-// Save saves image to dest, as in `docker save`
+// Save saves image to dest, as in `Engine save`
 func Save(image, dest string) error {
-	return exec.Command("docker", "save", "-o", dest, image).Run()
+	return exec.Command(Engine, "save", "-o", dest, image).Run()
 }
diff --git a/pkg/docker/userns_remap.go b/pkg/container/userns_remap.go
similarity index 90%
rename from pkg/docker/userns_remap.go
rename to pkg/container/userns_remap.go
index d0c42bb33a..eb00e7a69d 100644
--- a/pkg/docker/userns_remap.go
+++ b/pkg/container/userns_remap.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package docker
+package container
 
 import (
 	"strings"
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 // UsernsRemap checks if userns-remap is enabled in dockerd
 func UsernsRemap() bool {
-	cmd := exec.Command("docker", "info", "--format", "'{{json .SecurityOptions}}'")
+	cmd := exec.Command(Engine, "info", "--format", "'{{json .SecurityOptions}}'")
 	lines, err := exec.CombinedOutputLines(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false