Multi-inheritance within a single-inheritance, container-based data processing environment is provided for facilitating developing, storing, shipping and/or running software applications. More particularly, a facility is provided which includes generating, based on a configuration file with a multi-inheritance instruction, a composited image for a new container from multiple exiting images of the single-inheritance container-based environment. The multiple existing images are identified in the multi-inheritance instruction, and the generating includes creating a composited directory file which, in part, references layers of the multiple existing images and associating a command instruction of the configuration file with the composited file. The composited image is then built in associated with starting the new container based on the composited directory file and the associated command.