diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.java
index c303e9474f4..fc3376ae23f 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import static org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.nodemanager.containermanager.linux.runtime.LinuxContainerRuntimeConstants.*;
 
@@ -60,6 +61,12 @@ public class DockerLinuxContainerRuntime implements LinuxContainerRuntime {
   private static final Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(
       DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.class);
 
+  // This validates that the image is a proper docker image
+  public static final String DOCKER_IMAGE_PATTERN =
+      "^(([a-zA-Z0-9.-]+)(:\\d+)?/)?([a-z0-9_./-]+)(:[\\w.-]+)?$";
+  private static final Pattern dockerImagePattern =
+      Pattern.compile(DOCKER_IMAGE_PATTERN);
+
   @InterfaceAudience.Private
   public static final String ENV_DOCKER_CONTAINER_IMAGE =
       "YARN_CONTAINER_RUNTIME_DOCKER_IMAGE";
@@ -216,10 +223,7 @@ public class DockerLinuxContainerRuntime implements LinuxContainerRuntime {
         .getEnvironment();
     String imageName = environment.get(ENV_DOCKER_CONTAINER_IMAGE);
 
-    if (imageName == null) {
-      throw new ContainerExecutionException(ENV_DOCKER_CONTAINER_IMAGE
-          + " not set!");
-    }
+    validateImageName(imageName);
 
     String containerIdStr = container.getContainerId().toString();
     String runAsUser = ctx.getExecutionAttribute(RUN_AS_USER);
@@ -354,4 +358,16 @@ public class DockerLinuxContainerRuntime implements LinuxContainerRuntime {
       throws ContainerExecutionException {
 
   }
+
+  public static void validateImageName(String imageName)
+      throws ContainerExecutionException {
+    if (imageName == null || imageName.isEmpty()) {
+      throw new ContainerExecutionException(
+          ENV_DOCKER_CONTAINER_IMAGE + " not set!");
+    }
+    if (!dockerImagePattern.matcher(imageName).matches()) {
+      throw new ContainerExecutionException("Image name '" + imageName
+          + "' doesn't match docker image name pattern");
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/TestDockerContainerRuntime.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/TestDockerContainerRuntime.java
index 05f144f3a4e..1d955138841 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/TestDockerContainerRuntime.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/containermanager/linux/runtime/TestDockerContainerRuntime.java
@@ -388,4 +388,33 @@ public class TestDockerContainerRuntime {
         + ": " + command, command.contains("--privileged"));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testDockerImageNamePattern() throws Exception {
+    String[] validNames =
+        { "ubuntu", "fedora/httpd:version1.0",
+            "fedora/httpd:version1.0.test",
+            "fedora/httpd:version1.0.TEST",
+            "myregistryhost:5000/ubuntu",
+            "myregistryhost:5000/fedora/httpd:version1.0",
+            "myregistryhost:5000/fedora/httpd:version1.0.test",
+            "myregistryhost:5000/fedora/httpd:version1.0.TEST"};
+
+    String[] invalidNames = { "Ubuntu", "ubuntu || fedora", "ubuntu#",
+        "myregistryhost:50AB0/ubuntu", "myregistry#host:50AB0/ubuntu",
+        ":8080/ubuntu"
+    };
+
+    for (String name : validNames) {
+      DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.validateImageName(name);
+    }
+
+    for (String name : invalidNames) {
+      try {
+        DockerLinuxContainerRuntime.validateImageName(name);
+        Assert.fail(name + " is an invalid name and should fail the regex");
+      } catch (ContainerExecutionException ce) {
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }