diff --git a/src/packetserver/common/util.py b/src/packetserver/common/util.py
index 80d4d6b..14009c3 100644
--- a/src/packetserver/common/util.py
+++ b/src/packetserver/common/util.py
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 import re
 import datetime
+import tempfile
+import tarfile
+from typing import Union, Iterable, Tuple, Optional
+import os.path
+from io import BytesIO
+import random
+import string
 
 def email_valid(email: str) -> bool:
     """Taken from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/check-if-email-address-valid-or-not-in-python/"""
@@ -39,4 +46,50 @@ def from_date_digits(index: str) -> datetime:
     if len(ind) >= 14:
         second = int(ind[12:14])
 
-    return datetime.datetime(year, month, day ,hour, minute, second)
\ No newline at end of file
+    return datetime.datetime(year, month, day ,hour, minute, second)
+
+def tar_bytes(file: Union[str, Iterable]) -> bytes:
+    """Creates a tar archive in a temporary file with the specified files at root level.
+    Returns the bytes of the archive."""
+    files = []
+    if type(file) is str:
+        files.append(file)
+    else:
+        for i in file:
+            files.append(str(i))
+
+    with tempfile.TemporaryFile() as temp:
+        tar_obj = tarfile.TarFile(fileobj=temp, mode="w")
+        for i in files:
+            tar_obj.add(i, arcname=os.path.basename(i))
+        tar_obj.close()
+        temp.seek(0)
+        return temp.read()
+
+def bytes_to_tar_bytes(name: str, data: bytes) -> bytes:
+    """Creates a tar archive with a single file of name <name> with <data> bytes as the contents"""
+    with tempfile.TemporaryFile() as temp:
+        tar_obj = tarfile.TarFile(fileobj=temp, mode="w")
+        bio = BytesIO(data)
+        tar_info = tarfile.TarInfo(name=name)
+        tar_info.size = len(data)
+        tar_obj.addfile(tar_info, bio)
+        tar_obj.close()
+        temp.seek(0)
+        return temp.read()
+
+def extract_tar_bytes(tarfile_bytes: bytes) -> Tuple[str, bytes]:
+    """Takes the bytes of a tarfile, and returns the name and bytes of the first file in the archive."""
+    out_bytes = b''
+    bio = BytesIO(tarfile_bytes)
+    tar_obj = tarfile.TarFile(fileobj=bio, mode="r")
+    members = tar_obj.getmembers()
+    for i in range(0, len(members)):
+        if members[i].isfile():
+            return members[i].name, tar_obj.extractfile(members[i]).read()
+    raise FileNotFoundError("No files found to extract from archive")
+
+def random_string(length=8) -> str:
+    rand_str = ''.join(random.choices(string.ascii_letters + string.digits, k=length))
+    return rand_str
+
diff --git a/src/packetserver/runner/podman.py b/src/packetserver/runner/podman.py
index 6440d32..6a269d0 100644
--- a/src/packetserver/runner/podman.py
+++ b/src/packetserver/runner/podman.py
@@ -1,14 +1,19 @@
 """Uses podman to run jobs in containers."""
+import time
+
 from . import Runner, Orchestrator, RunnerStatus
 from collections import namedtuple
 from typing import Optional, Iterable
 import subprocess
 import podman
+import podman.errors
 import os
 import os.path
 import logging
 import ZODB
 import datetime
+from os.path import basename, dirname
+from packetserver.common.util import bytes_to_tar_bytes, random_string
 
 PodmanOptions = namedtuple("PodmanOptions", ["default_timeout", "max_timeout", "image_name",
                                              "max_active_jobs", "container_keepalive", "name_prefix"])
@@ -49,19 +54,67 @@ class PodmanOrchestrator(Orchestrator):
     def client(self):
         return podman.PodmanClient(base_url=self.uri)
 
-    def refresh_user_db(self, username: str, db: ZODB.DB):
+    def add_file_to_user_container(self, username: str, data: bytes, path: str):
+        pass
+
+    def get_file_from_user_container(self, username: str, path: str) -> bytes :
         pass
 
     def podman_start_user_container(self, username: str):
-        pass
+        con = self.client.containers.create(self.opts.image_name, name=self.get_container_name(username),
+                                            command=["tail", "-f", "/dev/null"])
+        con.start()
+        started_at = datetime.datetime.now()
+        while con.inspect()['State']['Status'] not in ['exited', 'running']:
+            now = datetime.datetime.now()
+            if (now - started_at).total_seconds() > 300:
+                con.stop()
+                con.remove()
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Couldn't start container for user {username}")
+            time.sleep(.1)
+        time.sleep(.5)
+        if con.inspect()['State']['Status'] != 'running':
+            con.stop()
+            con.remove()
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Couldn't start container for user {username}")
 
-    def podman_stop_user_container
+    def podman_remove_container_name(self, container_name: str):
+        cli = self.client
+        logging.debug(f"Attempting to remove container named {container_name}")
+        try:
+            con = cli.containers.get(container_name)
+        except podman.errors.exceptions.NotFound as e:
+            return
+        try:
+            con.rename(f"{container_name}_{random_string()}")
+        except:
+            pass
+        if con.inspect()['State']['Status'] != 'exited':
+            try:
+                con.stop()
+            except:
+                pass
+        try:
+            con.remove()
+        except:
+            pass
+        return
 
-    def podman_container_exists(self, container_name: str) -> bool:
-        return False
+    def podman_stop_user_container(self, username: str):
+        self.podman_remove_container_name(self.get_container_name(username))
+
+    def podman_user_container_exists(self, username: str) -> bool:
+        try:
+            self.client.containers.get(self.get_container_name(username))
+            return True
+        except podman.errors.exceptions.NotFound:
+            return False
 
     def clean_orphaned_containers(self):
-        pass
+        cli = self.client
+        for i in cli.containers.list(all=True):
+            if self.opts.name_prefix in str(i.name):
+                self.podman_remove_container_name(str(i.name))
 
     def get_container_name(self, username: str) -> str:
         return self.opts.name_prefix + username.lower().strip()
@@ -78,7 +131,7 @@ class PodmanOrchestrator(Orchestrator):
         """Checks running containers and stops them if they have been running too long."""
         for c in self.user_containers:
             if (datetime.datetime.now() - self.user_containers[c]) > self.opts.container_keepalive:
-                # stop the container TODO
+                self.podman_remove_container_name(c)
                 del self.user_containers[c]
 
     def runners_in_process(self) -> int:
@@ -99,6 +152,8 @@ class PodmanOrchestrator(Orchestrator):
 
     def new_runner(self, username: str, args: Iterable[str], job_id: int, environment: Optional[dict] = None,
                  timeout_secs: str = 300, refresh_db: bool = True, labels: Optional[list] = None) -> Optional[Runner]:
+        if not self.started:
+            return None
         with self.runner_lock:
             if not self.runners_available():
                 return None
diff --git a/src/packetserver/server/db.py b/src/packetserver/server/db.py
index f3ffbba..d61257f 100644
--- a/src/packetserver/server/db.py
+++ b/src/packetserver/server/db.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import ZODB
 import json
 import gzip
 import base64
+from io import BytesIO
 
 def get_user_db(username: str, db: ZODB.DB) -> dict:
     udb = {