A computer-implemented method for running applications on a multi-tenant container platform, at least a portion of the method being performed by a container host computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: initiating, by an application running in a non-privileged container, a request for a privileged operation, wherein the request for the privileged operation must be sent to a host administrator service on the container host computing device, and wherein the host administrator service is an administration program capable of implementing a whitelist of system administration operations that may be honored when requested by the application; invoking an interceptor, wherein the interceptor is a component part of a container administrator and represents an interceptor library capable of intercepting system administration operations by the application and sending the request to the host administrator service; receiving, at the interceptor, the request from the application; performing, by the interceptor, a whitelist check of the request; calling, by the interceptor when the whitelist check succeeds, a container administrator, wherein the container administrator is an administration program capable of performing a system administration function within the non-privileged container; initiating, by the container administrator, using a host administrator service socket handle, a connection between the container administrator and the host administrator service when conditions are met for the requested operation, wherein the host administrator service socket handle is a reference referring to a socket for the host administrator service; sending the request to the host administrator service with details of the requested operation; receiving, at the host administrator service on the container host computing device and via the host administrator service socket handle, the request for the privileged operation from the application running in the non-privileged container; performing a security check of a user associated with the application; comparing, when the security check results in approval, the requested privileged operation against the whitelist of system administration operations to determine the requested privileged operation is permissible; initiating running, when the requested privileged operation is permissible, the requested privileged operation; and sending, when the requested privileged operation is successfully completed or rejected, a respective response to the container administrator. initiating, by an application running in a non-privileged container, a request for a privileged operation, wherein the request for the privileged operation must be sent to a host administrator service on the container host computing device, and wherein the host administrator service is an administration program capable of implementing a whitelist of system administration operations that may be honored when requested by the application; invoking an interceptor, wherein the interceptor is a component part of a container administrator and represents an interceptor library capable of intercepting system administration operations by the application and sending the request to the host administrator service; receiving, at the interceptor, the request from the application; performing, by the interceptor, a whitelist check of the request; calling, by the interceptor when the whitelist check succeeds, a container administrator, wherein the container administrator is an administration program capable of performing a system administration function within the non-privileged container; initiating, by the container administrator, using a host administrator service socket handle, a connection between the container administrator and the host administrator service when conditions are met for the requested operation, wherein the host administrator service socket handle is a reference referring to a socket for the host administrator service; sending the request to the host administrator service with details of the requested operation; receiving, at the host administrator service on the container host computing device and via the host administrator service socket handle, the request for the privileged operation from the application running in the non-privileged container; performing a security check of a user associated with the application; comparing, when the security check results in approval, the requested privileged operation against the whitelist of system administration operations to determine the requested privileged operation is permissible; initiating running, when the requested privileged operation is permissible, the requested privileged operation; and sending, when the requested privileged operation is successfully completed or rejected, a respective response to the container administrator.