diff --git a/benchmark_test.go b/benchmark_test.go
index 844bed2fc..e2d81ed8a 100644
--- a/benchmark_test.go
+++ b/benchmark_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package containerd
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/containers"
 )
 
 func BenchmarkContainerCreate(b *testing.B) {
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerCreate(b *testing.B) {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	spec, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, client, nil, WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
+	spec, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, client, &containers.Container{ID: b.Name()}, WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
 	if err != nil {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerStart(b *testing.B) {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	spec, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, client, nil, WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
+	spec, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, client, &containers.Container{ID: b.Name()}, WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
 	if err != nil {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
diff --git a/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go b/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
index a62c03285..b76dbc79b 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd-stress/main.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"os/signal"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/containers"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/namespaces"
 	specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -98,7 +100,7 @@ func test(c config) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	logrus.Info("generating spec from image")
-	spec, err := containerd.GenerateSpec(ctx, client, nil, containerd.WithImageConfig(image), containerd.WithProcessArgs("true"))
+	spec, err := containerd.GenerateSpec(ctx, client, &containers.Container{ID: ""}, containerd.WithImageConfig(image), containerd.WithProcessArgs("true"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -120,7 +122,7 @@ func test(c config) error {
 		w := &worker{
 			id:     i,
 			wg:     &wg,
-			spec:   spec,
+			spec:   *spec,
 			image:  image,
 			client: client,
 		}
@@ -158,7 +160,7 @@ type worker struct {
 
 	client *containerd.Client
 	image  containerd.Image
-	spec   *specs.Spec
+	spec   specs.Spec
 }
 
 func (w *worker) run(ctx, tctx context.Context) {
@@ -194,8 +196,9 @@ func (w *worker) run(ctx, tctx context.Context) {
 }
 
 func (w *worker) runContainer(ctx context.Context, id string) error {
+	w.spec.Linux.CgroupsPath = filepath.Join("/", fmt.Sprint(w.id), id)
 	c, err := w.client.NewContainer(ctx, id,
-		containerd.WithSpec(w.spec),
+		containerd.WithSpec(&w.spec),
 		containerd.WithNewSnapshot(id, w.image),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/docs/getting-started.md b/docs/getting-started.md
index be48f3bdf..c80ef1237 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started.md
@@ -196,18 +196,11 @@ func redisExample() error {
         }
         log.Printf("Successfully pulled %s image\n", image.Name())
 
-        spec, err := containerd.GenerateSpec(ctx, client, nil, containerd.WithImageConfig(image))
-        if err != nil {
-                return err
-        }
-        log.Printf("Successfully generate an OCI spec version %s based on %s image", spec.Version, image.Name())
-
         container, err := client.NewContainer(
                 ctx,
                 "redis-server",
-                containerd.WithSpec(spec),
-                containerd.WithImage(image),
                 containerd.WithNewSnapshot("redis-server-snapshot", image),
+                containerd.WithNewSpec(containerd.WithImageConfig(image)),
         )
         if err != nil {
                 return err
diff --git a/spec.go b/spec.go
index fc1201467..850f470a0 100644
--- a/spec.go
+++ b/spec.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import (
 // GenerateSpec will generate a default spec from the provided image
 // for use as a containerd container
 func GenerateSpec(ctx context.Context, client *Client, c *containers.Container, opts ...SpecOpts) (*specs.Spec, error) {
-	s, err := createDefaultSpec()
+	s, err := createDefaultSpec(ctx, c.ID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/spec_opts.go b/spec_opts.go
index e3edecbe9..2dbf8214a 100644
--- a/spec_opts.go
+++ b/spec_opts.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func WithHostname(name string) SpecOpts {
 // WithNewSpec generates a new spec for a new container
 func WithNewSpec(opts ...SpecOpts) NewContainerOpts {
 	return func(ctx context.Context, client *Client, c *containers.Container) error {
-		s, err := createDefaultSpec()
+		s, err := createDefaultSpec(ctx, c.ID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/spec_unix.go b/spec_unix.go
index 36f9b2d77..9a0b537dc 100644
--- a/spec_unix.go
+++ b/spec_unix.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 package containerd
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/mount"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/namespaces"
 	specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
 )
 
@@ -64,7 +66,11 @@ func defaultNamespaces() []specs.LinuxNamespace {
 	}
 }
 
-func createDefaultSpec() (*specs.Spec, error) {
+func createDefaultSpec(ctx context.Context, id string) (*specs.Spec, error) {
+	ns, err := namespaces.NamespaceRequired(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	s := &specs.Spec{
 		Version: specs.Version,
 		Root: &specs.Root{
@@ -154,7 +160,7 @@ func createDefaultSpec() (*specs.Spec, error) {
 				"/proc/sys",
 				"/proc/sysrq-trigger",
 			},
-			// TODO (@crosbymichael) make sure we don't have have two containers in the same cgroup
+			CgroupsPath: filepath.Join("/", ns, id),
 			Resources: &specs.LinuxResources{
 				Devices: []specs.LinuxDeviceCgroup{
 					{
diff --git a/spec_unix_test.go b/spec_unix_test.go
index 402c53f25..053831658 100644
--- a/spec_unix_test.go
+++ b/spec_unix_test.go
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/containers"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/namespaces"
 	specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
 )
 
 func TestGenerateSpec(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	s, err := GenerateSpec(context.Background(), nil, nil)
+	ctx := namespaces.WithNamespace(context.Background(), "testing")
+	s, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, nil, &containers.Container{ID: t.Name()})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -52,7 +55,8 @@ func TestGenerateSpec(t *testing.T) {
 func TestSpecWithTTY(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	s, err := GenerateSpec(context.Background(), nil, nil, WithTTY)
+	ctx := namespaces.WithNamespace(context.Background(), "testing")
+	s, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, nil, &containers.Container{ID: t.Name()}, WithTTY)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -68,8 +72,10 @@ func TestSpecWithTTY(t *testing.T) {
 func TestWithLinuxNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
+	ctx := namespaces.WithNamespace(context.Background(), "testing")
 	replacedNS := specs.LinuxNamespace{Type: specs.NetworkNamespace, Path: "/var/run/netns/test"}
-	s, err := GenerateSpec(context.Background(), nil, nil, WithLinuxNamespace(replacedNS))
+
+	s, err := GenerateSpec(ctx, nil, &containers.Container{ID: t.Name()}, WithLinuxNamespace(replacedNS))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/spec_windows.go b/spec_windows.go
index 8fa1305c9..16a58b446 100644
--- a/spec_windows.go
+++ b/spec_windows.go
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 package containerd
 
-import specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
+import (
+	"context"
 
-func createDefaultSpec() (*specs.Spec, error) {
+	specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
+)
+
+func createDefaultSpec(ctx context.Context, id string) (*specs.Spec, error) {
 	return &specs.Spec{
 		Version: specs.Version,
 		Root:    &specs.Root{},