diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
index a8375ecfc00..9b2397fdd95 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1138,6 +1138,9 @@ Release 2.8.0 - UNRELEASED
     YARN-4440. FSAppAttempt#getAllowedLocalityLevelByTime should init the
     lastScheduler time. (Lin Yiqun via zxu)
 
+    YARN-4452. NPE when submit Unmanaged application. (Naganarasimha G R
+    via junping_du)
+
 Release 2.7.3 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
@@ -1186,6 +1189,9 @@ Release 2.7.3 - UNRELEASED
 
     YARN-4439. Clarify NMContainerStatus#toString method. (Jian He via xgong)
 
+    YARN-4452. NPE when submit Unmanaged application. (Naganarasimha G R via
+    junping_du)
+
 Release 2.7.2 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
@@ -2040,6 +2046,9 @@ Release 2.6.4 - UNRELEASED
   YARN-3535. Scheduler must re-request container resources when RMContainer transitions
   from ALLOCATED to KILLED (rohithsharma and peng.zhang via asuresh)
 
+  YARN-4452. NPE when submit Unmanaged application. (Naganarasimha G R
+  via junping_du)
+
 Release 2.6.3 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
index 44cb8075315..f240660da46 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/SystemMetricsPublisher.java
@@ -160,6 +160,8 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
   public void appAttemptRegistered(RMAppAttempt appAttempt,
       long registeredTime) {
     if (publishSystemMetrics) {
+      ContainerId container = (appAttempt.getMasterContainer() == null) ? null
+          : appAttempt.getMasterContainer().getId();
       dispatcher.getEventHandler().handle(
           new AppAttemptRegisteredEvent(
               appAttempt.getAppAttemptId(),
@@ -167,7 +169,7 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
               appAttempt.getRpcPort(),
               appAttempt.getTrackingUrl(),
               appAttempt.getOriginalTrackingUrl(),
-              appAttempt.getMasterContainer().getId(),
+              container,
               registeredTime));
     }
   }
@@ -176,6 +178,8 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
   public void appAttemptFinished(RMAppAttempt appAttempt,
       RMAppAttemptState appAttemtpState, RMApp app, long finishedTime) {
     if (publishSystemMetrics) {
+      ContainerId container = (appAttempt.getMasterContainer() == null) ? null
+          : appAttempt.getMasterContainer().getId();
       dispatcher.getEventHandler().handle(
           new AppAttemptFinishedEvent(
               appAttempt.getAppAttemptId(),
@@ -187,7 +191,7 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
               app.getFinalApplicationStatus(),
               RMServerUtils.createApplicationAttemptState(appAttemtpState),
               finishedTime,
-              appAttempt.getMasterContainer().getId()));
+              container));
     }
   }
 
@@ -390,9 +394,10 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
         event.getHost());
     eventInfo.put(AppAttemptMetricsConstants.RPC_PORT_EVENT_INFO,
         event.getRpcPort());
-    eventInfo.put(
-        AppAttemptMetricsConstants.MASTER_CONTAINER_EVENT_INFO,
-        event.getMasterContainerId().toString());
+    if (event.getMasterContainerId() != null) {
+      eventInfo.put(AppAttemptMetricsConstants.MASTER_CONTAINER_EVENT_INFO,
+          event.getMasterContainerId().toString());
+    }
     tEvent.setEventInfo(eventInfo);
     entity.addEvent(tEvent);
     putEntity(entity);
@@ -417,9 +422,10 @@ public class SystemMetricsPublisher extends CompositeService {
         event.getFinalApplicationStatus().toString());
     eventInfo.put(AppAttemptMetricsConstants.STATE_EVENT_INFO,
         event.getYarnApplicationAttemptState().toString());
-    eventInfo.put(
-        AppAttemptMetricsConstants.MASTER_CONTAINER_EVENT_INFO,
-        event.getMasterContainerId().toString());
+    if (event.getMasterContainerId() != null) {
+      eventInfo.put(AppAttemptMetricsConstants.MASTER_CONTAINER_EVENT_INFO,
+          event.getMasterContainerId().toString());
+    }
     tEvent.setEventInfo(eventInfo);
     entity.addEvent(tEvent);
     putEntity(entity);
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
index 4835ade7d12..f2b02bcfad7 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/metrics/TestSystemMetricsPublisher.java
@@ -256,11 +256,31 @@ public class TestSystemMetricsPublisher {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test(timeout = 10000)
+  public void testPublishAppAttemptMetricsForUnmanagedAM() throws Exception {
+    ApplicationAttemptId appAttemptId =
+        ApplicationAttemptId.newInstance(ApplicationId.newInstance(0, 1), 1);
+    RMAppAttempt appAttempt = createRMAppAttempt(appAttemptId,true);
+    metricsPublisher.appAttemptRegistered(appAttempt, Integer.MAX_VALUE + 1L);
+    RMApp app = mock(RMApp.class);
+    when(app.getFinalApplicationStatus()).thenReturn(FinalApplicationStatus.UNDEFINED);
+    metricsPublisher.appAttemptFinished(appAttempt, RMAppAttemptState.FINISHED, app,
+        Integer.MAX_VALUE + 2L);
+    TimelineEntity entity = null;
+    do {
+      entity =
+          store.getEntity(appAttemptId.toString(),
+              AppAttemptMetricsConstants.ENTITY_TYPE,
+              EnumSet.allOf(Field.class));
+      // ensure two events are both published before leaving the loop
+    } while (entity == null || entity.getEvents().size() < 2);
+  }
+
   @Test(timeout = 10000)
   public void testPublishAppAttemptMetrics() throws Exception {
     ApplicationAttemptId appAttemptId =
         ApplicationAttemptId.newInstance(ApplicationId.newInstance(0, 1), 1);
-    RMAppAttempt appAttempt = createRMAppAttempt(appAttemptId);
+    RMAppAttempt appAttempt = createRMAppAttempt(appAttemptId, false);
     metricsPublisher.appAttemptRegistered(appAttempt, Integer.MAX_VALUE + 1L);
     RMApp app = mock(RMApp.class);
     when(app.getFinalApplicationStatus()).thenReturn(FinalApplicationStatus.UNDEFINED);
@@ -435,15 +455,17 @@ public class TestSystemMetricsPublisher {
   }
 
   private static RMAppAttempt createRMAppAttempt(
-      ApplicationAttemptId appAttemptId) {
+      ApplicationAttemptId appAttemptId, boolean unmanagedAMAttempt) {
     RMAppAttempt appAttempt = mock(RMAppAttempt.class);
     when(appAttempt.getAppAttemptId()).thenReturn(appAttemptId);
     when(appAttempt.getHost()).thenReturn("test host");
     when(appAttempt.getRpcPort()).thenReturn(-100);
-    Container container = mock(Container.class);
-    when(container.getId())
-        .thenReturn(ContainerId.newContainerId(appAttemptId, 1));
-    when(appAttempt.getMasterContainer()).thenReturn(container);
+    if (!unmanagedAMAttempt) {
+      Container container = mock(Container.class);
+      when(container.getId())
+          .thenReturn(ContainerId.newContainerId(appAttemptId, 1));
+      when(appAttempt.getMasterContainer()).thenReturn(container);
+    }
     when(appAttempt.getDiagnostics()).thenReturn("test diagnostics info");
     when(appAttempt.getTrackingUrl()).thenReturn("test tracking url");
     when(appAttempt.getOriginalTrackingUrl()).thenReturn(