@@ -6,9 +6,7 @@ import (

 )

 // ContainerState is a string representation of the container's current state.

-//

-// It currently is an alias for string, but may become a distinct type in the future.

-type ContainerState = string

+type ContainerState string

 const (

 	StateCreated    ContainerState = "created"    // StateCreated indicates the container is created, but not (yet) started.

@@ -20,8 +18,14 @@ const (

 	StateDead       ContainerState = "dead"       // StateDead indicates that the container failed to be deleted. Containers in this state are attempted to be cleaned up when the daemon restarts.

 )

-var validStates = []ContainerState{

-	StateCreated, StateRunning, StatePaused, StateRestarting, StateRemoving, StateExited, StateDead,

+var validStates = []string{

+	string(StateCreated),

+	string(StateRunning),

+	string(StatePaused),

+	string(StateRestarting),

+	string(StateRemoving),

+	string(StateExited),

+	string(StateDead),

 }

 // ValidateContainerState checks if the provided string is a valid

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func TestValidateContainerState(t *testing.T) {

 		{state: "invalid-state-string", expectedErr: `invalid value for state (invalid-state-string): must be one of created, running, paused, restarting, removing, exited, dead`},

 	}

 	for _, tc := range tests {

-		t.Run(tc.state, func(t *testing.T) {

+		t.Run(string(tc.state), func(t *testing.T) {

 			err := ValidateContainerState(tc.state)

 			if tc.expectedErr == "" {

 				assert.NilError(t, err)

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type State struct {

 	//

 	// In a similar fashion, [State.Running] and [State.Restarting] can both

 	// be true in a situation where a container is in process of being restarted.

-	// Refer to [State.StateString] for order of precedence.

+	// Refer to [State.State] for order of precedence.

 	Running           bool

 	Paused            bool

 	Restarting        bool

@@ -114,10 +114,10 @@ func (s *State) String() string {

 	return fmt.Sprintf("Exited (%d) %s ago", s.ExitCode, units.HumanDuration(time.Now().UTC().Sub(s.FinishedAt)))

 }

-// StateString returns the container's current [ContainerState], based on the

+// State returns the container's current [container.ContainerState], based on the

 // [State.Running], [State.Paused], [State.Restarting], [State.RemovalInProgress],

 // [State.StartedAt] and [State.Dead] fields.

-func (s *State) StateString() container.ContainerState {

+func (s *State) State() container.ContainerState {

 	if s.Running {

 		if s.Paused {

 			return container.StatePaused

@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ func (s *State) conditionAlreadyMet(condition container.WaitCondition) bool {

 //

 // In a similar fashion, [State.Running] and [State.Restarting] can both

 // be true in a situation where a container is in process of being restarted.

-// Refer to [State.StateString] for order of precedence.

+// Refer to [State.State] for order of precedence.

 func (s *State) IsRunning() bool {

 	s.Lock()

 	defer s.Unlock()

@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ func (s *State) SetError(err error) {

 //

 // In a similar fashion, [State.Running] and [State.Restarting] can both

 // be true in a situation where a container is in process of being restarted.

-// Refer to [State.StateString] for order of precedence.

+// Refer to [State.State] for order of precedence.

 func (s *State) IsPaused() bool {

 	s.Lock()

 	defer s.Unlock()

@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ func (s *State) IsPaused() bool {

 //

 // In a similar fashion, [State.Running] and [State.Restarting] can both

 // be true in a situation where a container is in process of being restarted.

-// Refer to [State.StateString] for order of precedence.

+// Refer to [State.State] for order of precedence.

 func (s *State) IsRestarting() bool {

 	s.Lock()

 	defer s.Unlock()

@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ func (v *View) transform(ctr *Container) *Snapshot {

 			ImageID: ctr.ImageID.String(),

 			Ports:   []container.PortSummary{},

 			Mounts:  ctr.GetMountPoints(),

-			State:   ctr.State.StateString(),

+			State:   ctr.State.State(),

 			Status:  ctr.State.String(),

 			Health: &container.HealthSummary{

 				Status:        health,

@@ -968,7 +968,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) getNetworkedContainer(containerID, connectedContainerPrefi

 		return nil, errdefs.System(errdefs.InvalidParameter(errors.New("cannot join own network namespace")))

 	}

 	if !nc.State.IsRunning() {

-		return nil, errdefs.Conflict(fmt.Errorf("cannot join network namespace of a non running container: container %s is %s", strings.TrimPrefix(nc.Name, "/"), nc.State.StateString()))

+		return nil, errdefs.Conflict(fmt.Errorf("cannot join network namespace of a non running container: container %s is %s", strings.TrimPrefix(nc.Name, "/"), nc.State.State()))

 	}

 	if nc.State.IsRestarting() {

 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot join network namespace of container: %w", errContainerIsRestarting(connectedContainerPrefixOrName))

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) cleanupContainer(ctr *container.Container, config backend.

 			if ctr.State.Paused {

 				return errdefs.Conflict(errors.New("container is paused and must be unpaused first"))

 			} else {

-				return errdefs.Conflict(fmt.Errorf("container is %s: stop the container before removing or force remove", ctr.State.StateString()))

+				return errdefs.Conflict(fmt.Errorf("container is %s: stop the container before removing or force remove", ctr.State.State()))

 			}

 		}

 		if err := daemon.Kill(ctr); err != nil && !isNotRunning(err) {

@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) getInspectData(daemonCfg *config.Config, ctr *container.Co

 		Path:    ctr.Path,

 		Args:    ctr.Args,

 		State: &containertypes.State{

-			Status:     ctr.State.StateString(),

+			Status:     ctr.State.State(),

 			Running:    ctr.State.Running,

 			Paused:     ctr.State.Paused,

 			Restarting: ctr.State.Restarting,

@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ func (ctr *StateCounter) Get() (running int, paused int, stopped int) {

 	ctr.mu.RLock()

 	defer ctr.mu.RUnlock()

+	// FIXME(thaJeztah): there's no "container.StateStopped"; should we align these states with actual states?

 	for _, state := range ctr.states {

 		switch state {

 		case "running":

@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) foldFilter(ctx context.Context, view *container.View, conf

 	}

 	err = psFilters.WalkValues("status", func(value string) error {

-		if err := containertypes.ValidateContainerState(value); err != nil {

+		if err := containertypes.ValidateContainerState(containertypes.ContainerState(value)); err != nil {

 			return errdefs.InvalidParameter(fmt.Errorf("invalid filter 'status=%s': %w", value, err))

 		}

 		config.All = true

@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ func includeContainerInList(container *container.Snapshot, filter *listContext)

 	}

 	// Do not include container if its status doesn't match the filter

-	if !filter.filters.Match("status", container.State) {

+	if !filter.filters.Match("status", string(container.State)) {

 		return excludeContainer

 	}

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (

 	cerrdefs "github.com/containerd/errdefs"

 	"github.com/containerd/log"

+	containertypes "github.com/moby/moby/api/types/container"

 	"github.com/moby/moby/api/types/events"

 	"github.com/moby/moby/v2/daemon/config"

 	"github.com/moby/moby/v2/daemon/container"

@@ -19,10 +20,10 @@ import (

 )

 func (daemon *Daemon) setStateCounter(c *container.Container) {

-	switch c.State.StateString() {

-	case "paused":

+	switch c.State.State() {

+	case containertypes.StatePaused:

 		metrics.StateCtr.Set(c.ID, "paused")

-	case "running":

+	case containertypes.StateRunning:

 		metrics.StateCtr.Set(c.ID, "running")

 	default:

 		metrics.StateCtr.Set(c.ID, "stopped")

@@ -92,17 +92,17 @@ func TestKillWithStopSignalAndRestartPolicies(t *testing.T) {

 	testCases := []struct {

 		doc        string

 		stopsignal string

-		status     string

+		status     containertypes.ContainerState

 	}{

 		{

 			doc:        "same-signal-disables-restart-policy",

 			stopsignal: "TERM",

-			status:     "exited",

+			status:     containertypes.StateExited,

 		},

 		{

 			doc:        "different-signal-keep-restart-policy",

 			stopsignal: "CONT",

-			status:     "running",

+			status:     containertypes.StateRunning,

 		},

 	}

@@ -39,15 +39,17 @@ func IsInState(ctx context.Context, apiClient client.APIClient, containerID stri

 		if err != nil {

 			return poll.Error(err)

 		}

+		var states []string

 		for _, v := range state {

+			states = append(states, string(v))

 			if inspect.Container.State.Status == v {

 				return poll.Success()

 			}

 		}

-		if len(state) == 1 {

+		if len(states) == 1 {

 			return poll.Continue("waiting for container State.Status to be '%s', currently '%s'", state[0], inspect.Container.State.Status)

 		} else {

-			return poll.Continue("waiting for container State.Status to be one of (%s), currently '%s'", strings.Join(state, ", "), inspect.Container.State.Status)

+			return poll.Continue("waiting for container State.Status to be one of (%s), currently '%s'", strings.Join(states, ", "), inspect.Container.State.Status)

 		}

 	}

 }

@@ -6,9 +6,7 @@ import (

 )

 // ContainerState is a string representation of the container's current state.

-//

-// It currently is an alias for string, but may become a distinct type in the future.

-type ContainerState = string

+type ContainerState string

 const (

 	StateCreated    ContainerState = "created"    // StateCreated indicates the container is created, but not (yet) started.

@@ -20,8 +18,14 @@ const (

 	StateDead       ContainerState = "dead"       // StateDead indicates that the container failed to be deleted. Containers in this state are attempted to be cleaned up when the daemon restarts.

 )

-var validStates = []ContainerState{

-	StateCreated, StateRunning, StatePaused, StateRestarting, StateRemoving, StateExited, StateDead,

+var validStates = []string{

+	string(StateCreated),

+	string(StateRunning),

+	string(StatePaused),

+	string(StateRestarting),

+	string(StateRemoving),

+	string(StateExited),

+	string(StateDead),

 }

 // ValidateContainerState checks if the provided string is a valid