Global cache for container images in a clustered container host system

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions to be executed in a computing device to cause the computing device to carry out a method of managing containers in a clustered container host system with a shared storage device, wherein hosts of the clustered container host system each include a virtualization software layer that supports execution of virtual machines in the hosts, and one or more virtual machines have implemented therein a container engine that supports execution of containers within the respective virtual machines, said method comprising:

• in connection with deploying a container in a first virtual machine, creating a virtual disk in the storage device, storing an image of the container in the virtual disk, mounting the virtual disk to the first virtual machine, and updating a metadata cache to associate the image of the container to the virtual disk;
• and
• in connection with deploying the container in a second virtual machine that is executed in a host different from a host in which the first virtual machine is executed, checking the metadata cache to determine that the image of the container is stored in the virtual disk, and mounting the virtual disk to the second virtual machine.