diff --git a/mount.go b/mount.go
index a9c7a14..1ae4264 100644
--- a/mount.go
+++ b/mount.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 )
 
 // Mount is the lingua franca of the containerkit. A mount represents a
@@ -48,3 +49,67 @@ func MountAll(mounts ...Mount) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func MountFS(mounts []Mount, target string) error {
+	for _, m := range mounts {
+		flags, data := parseMountOptions(m.Options)
+		if err := syscall.Mount(m.Source, target, m.Type, uintptr(flags), data); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// parseMountOptions takes fstab style mount options and parses them for
+// use with a standard mount() syscall
+func parseMountOptions(options []string) (int, string) {
+	var (
+		flag int
+		data []string
+	)
+	flags := map[string]struct {
+		clear bool
+		flag  int
+	}{
+		"async":         {true, syscall.MS_SYNCHRONOUS},
+		"atime":         {true, syscall.MS_NOATIME},
+		"bind":          {false, syscall.MS_BIND},
+		"defaults":      {false, 0},
+		"dev":           {true, syscall.MS_NODEV},
+		"diratime":      {true, syscall.MS_NODIRATIME},
+		"dirsync":       {false, syscall.MS_DIRSYNC},
+		"exec":          {true, syscall.MS_NOEXEC},
+		"mand":          {false, syscall.MS_MANDLOCK},
+		"noatime":       {false, syscall.MS_NOATIME},
+		"nodev":         {false, syscall.MS_NODEV},
+		"nodiratime":    {false, syscall.MS_NODIRATIME},
+		"noexec":        {false, syscall.MS_NOEXEC},
+		"nomand":        {true, syscall.MS_MANDLOCK},
+		"norelatime":    {true, syscall.MS_RELATIME},
+		"nostrictatime": {true, syscall.MS_STRICTATIME},
+		"nosuid":        {false, syscall.MS_NOSUID},
+		"rbind":         {false, syscall.MS_BIND | syscall.MS_REC},
+		"relatime":      {false, syscall.MS_RELATIME},
+		"remount":       {false, syscall.MS_REMOUNT},
+		"ro":            {false, syscall.MS_RDONLY},
+		"rw":            {true, syscall.MS_RDONLY},
+		"strictatime":   {false, syscall.MS_STRICTATIME},
+		"suid":          {true, syscall.MS_NOSUID},
+		"sync":          {false, syscall.MS_SYNCHRONOUS},
+	}
+	for _, o := range options {
+		// If the option does not exist in the flags table or the flag
+		// is not supported on the platform,
+		// then it is a data value for a specific fs type
+		if f, exists := flags[o]; exists && f.flag != 0 {
+			if f.clear {
+				flag &= ^f.flag
+			} else {
+				flag |= f.flag
+			}
+		} else {
+			data = append(data, o)
+		}
+	}
+	return flag, strings.Join(data, ",")
+}
diff --git a/snapshot/overlayfs.go b/snapshot/overlayfs.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8802d7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snapshot/overlayfs.go
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+package snapshot
+
+import (
+	"crypto/md5"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/docker/containerd"
+)
+
+func NewOverlayfs(root string) (*Overlayfs, error) {
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(root, 0700); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	for _, p := range []string{
+		"snapshots",
+		"active",
+	} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(root, p), 0700); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return &Overlayfs{
+		root: root,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+type Overlayfs struct {
+	root string
+}
+
+func (o *Overlayfs) Prepare(key string, parentName string) ([]containerd.Mount, error) {
+	if err := validKey(key); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	active, err := o.newActiveDir(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if parentName != "" {
+		if err := active.setParent(parentName); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return active.mounts()
+}
+
+func (o *Overlayfs) Commit(key string, name string) error {
+	active := o.getActive(key)
+	return active.commit(name)
+}
+
+func (o *Overlayfs) newActiveDir(key string) (*activeDir, error) {
+	var (
+		hash = hash(key)
+		path = filepath.Join(o.root, "active", hash)
+	)
+	a := &activeDir{
+		path:         path,
+		snapshotsDir: filepath.Join(o.root, "snapshots"),
+	}
+	for _, p := range []string{
+		"work",
+		"fs",
+	} {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(path, p), 0700); err != nil {
+			a.delete()
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return a, nil
+}
+
+func (o *Overlayfs) getActive(key string) *activeDir {
+	return &activeDir{
+		path:         filepath.Join(o.root, "active", hash(key)),
+		snapshotsDir: filepath.Join(o.root, "snapshots"),
+	}
+}
+
+func validKey(key string) error {
+	_, err := filepath.Abs(key)
+	return err
+}
+
+func hash(k string) string {
+	h := md5.New()
+	h.Write([]byte(k))
+	return hex.EncodeToString(h.Sum(nil))
+}
+
+type activeDir struct {
+	snapshotsDir string
+	path         string
+}
+
+func (a *activeDir) delete() error {
+	return os.RemoveAll(a.path)
+}
+
+func (a *activeDir) setParent(name string) error {
+	return os.Symlink(filepath.Join(a.snapshotsDir, name), filepath.Join(a.path, "parent"))
+}
+
+func (a *activeDir) commit(name string) error {
+	if err := os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(a.path, "work")); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return os.Rename(a.path, filepath.Join(a.snapshotsDir, name))
+}
+
+func (a *activeDir) mounts() ([]containerd.Mount, error) {
+	var (
+		parentLink = filepath.Join(a.path, "parent")
+		parents    []string
+	)
+	for {
+		snapshot, err := os.Readlink(parentLink)
+		if err != nil {
+			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				break
+			}
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		parents = append(parents, filepath.Join(snapshot, "fs"))
+		parentLink = filepath.Join(snapshot, "parent")
+	}
+	if len(parents) == 0 {
+		// if we only have one layer/no parents then just return a bind mount as overlay
+		// will not work
+		return []containerd.Mount{
+			{
+				Source: filepath.Join(a.path, "fs"),
+				Type:   "bind",
+				Options: []string{
+					"rw",
+					"rbind",
+				},
+			},
+		}, nil
+	}
+	options := []string{
+		fmt.Sprintf("workdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "work")),
+		fmt.Sprintf("upperdir=%s", filepath.Join(a.path, "fs")),
+		fmt.Sprintf("lowerdir=%s", strings.Join(parents, ":")),
+	}
+	return []containerd.Mount{
+		{
+			Type:    "overlay",
+			Source:  "overlay",
+			Options: options,
+		},
+	}, nil
+}
diff --git a/snapshot/overlayfs_test.go b/snapshot/overlayfs_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ecbef33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/snapshot/overlayfs_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+package snapshot
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/docker/containerd"
+)
+
+func TestOverlayfs(t *testing.T) {
+	root, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "overlay")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(root)
+	o, err := NewOverlayfs(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	mounts, err := o.Prepare("/tmp/test", "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if len(mounts) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("should only have 1 mount but received %d", len(mounts))
+	}
+	m := mounts[0]
+	if m.Type != "bind" {
+		t.Errorf("mount type should be bind but received %q", m.Type)
+	}
+	expected := filepath.Join(root, "active", hash("/tmp/test"), "fs")
+	if m.Source != expected {
+		t.Errorf("expected source %q but received %q", expected, m.Source)
+	}
+	if m.Options[0] != "rw" {
+		t.Errorf("expected mount option rw but received %q", m.Options[0])
+	}
+	if m.Options[1] != "rbind" {
+		t.Errorf("expected mount option rbind but received %q", m.Options[1])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOverlayfsCommit(t *testing.T) {
+	root, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "overlay")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(root)
+	o, err := NewOverlayfs(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	key := "/tmp/test"
+	mounts, err := o.Prepare(key, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	m := mounts[0]
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(m.Source, "foo"), []byte("hi"), 0660); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := o.Commit(key, "base"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOverlayfsOverlayMount(t *testing.T) {
+	root, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "overlay")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(root)
+	o, err := NewOverlayfs(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	key := "/tmp/test"
+	mounts, err := o.Prepare(key, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := o.Commit(key, "base"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if mounts, err = o.Prepare("/tmp/layer2", "base"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if len(mounts) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("should only have 1 mount but received %d", len(mounts))
+	}
+	m := mounts[0]
+	if m.Type != "overlay" {
+		t.Errorf("mount type should be overlay but received %q", m.Type)
+	}
+	if m.Source != "overlay" {
+		t.Errorf("expected source %q but received %q", "overlay", m.Source)
+	}
+	var (
+		hash  = hash("/tmp/layer2")
+		work  = "workdir=" + filepath.Join(root, "active", hash, "work")
+		upper = "upperdir=" + filepath.Join(root, "active", hash, "fs")
+		lower = "lowerdir=" + filepath.Join(root, "snapshots", "base", "fs")
+	)
+	for i, v := range []string{
+		work,
+		upper,
+		lower,
+	} {
+		if m.Options[i] != v {
+			t.Errorf("expected %q but received %q", v, m.Options[i])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOverlayfsOverlayRead(t *testing.T) {
+	if os.Getuid() != 0 {
+		t.Skip("not running as root")
+	}
+	root, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "overlay")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(root)
+	o, err := NewOverlayfs(root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	key := "/tmp/test"
+	mounts, err := o.Prepare(key, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	m := mounts[0]
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(m.Source, "foo"), []byte("hi"), 0660); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := o.Commit(key, "base"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if mounts, err = o.Prepare("/tmp/layer2", "base"); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	dest := filepath.Join(root, "dest")
+	if err := os.Mkdir(dest, 0700); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := containerd.MountFS(mounts, dest); err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	defer syscall.Unmount(dest, 0)
+	data, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Join(dest, "foo"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+		return
+	}
+	if e := string(data); e != "hi" {
+		t.Errorf("expected file contents hi but got %q", e)
+		return
+	}
+}