diff --git a/runtime/kubernetes/kubernetes.go b/runtime/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
index 0eba844e..348b28b6 100644
--- a/runtime/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
+++ b/runtime/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
@@ -184,16 +184,15 @@ func (k *kubernetes) getService(labels map[string]string, opts ...client.GetOpti
 
 			// parse out deployment status and inject into service metadata
 			if len(kdep.Status.Conditions) > 0 {
-				svc.Status(kdep.Status.Conditions[0].Type, nil)
+				status := transformStatus(kdep.Status.Conditions[0].Type)
+				svc.Status(status, nil)
 				svc.Metadata["started"] = kdep.Status.Conditions[0].LastUpdateTime
 			} else {
-				svc.Status("n/a", nil)
+				svc.Status(runtime.Unknown, nil)
 			}
 
 			// get the real status
 			for _, item := range podList.Items {
-				var status string
-
 				// check the name
 				if item.Metadata.Labels["name"] != name {
 					continue
@@ -203,12 +202,7 @@ func (k *kubernetes) getService(labels map[string]string, opts ...client.GetOpti
 					continue
 				}
 
-				switch item.Status.Phase {
-				case "Failed":
-					status = item.Status.Reason
-				default:
-					status = item.Status.Phase
-				}
+				status := transformStatus(item.Status.Phase)
 
 				// skip if we can't get the container
 				if len(item.Status.Containers) == 0 {
@@ -225,11 +219,9 @@ func (k *kubernetes) getService(labels map[string]string, opts ...client.GetOpti
 
 				// set status from waiting
 				if v := state.Waiting; v != nil {
-					if len(v.Reason) > 0 {
-						status = v.Reason
-					}
+					status = runtime.Pending
 				}
-				// TODO: set from terminated
+
 				svc.Status(status, nil)
 			}
 
@@ -744,3 +736,34 @@ func (k *kubernetes) DeleteNamespace(ns string) error {
 	}
 	return err
 }
+
+// transformStatus takes a deployment status (deploymentcondition.type) and transforms it into a
+// runtime service status, e.g. containercreating => starting
+func transformStatus(depStatus string) runtime.ServiceStatus {
+	switch strings.ToLower(depStatus) {
+	case "pending":
+		return runtime.Pending
+	case "containercreating":
+		return runtime.Starting
+	case "imagepullbackoff":
+		return runtime.Error
+	case "crashloopbackoff":
+		return runtime.Error
+	case "error":
+		return runtime.Error
+	case "running":
+		return runtime.Running
+	case "available":
+		return runtime.Running
+	case "succeeded":
+		return runtime.Stopped
+	case "failed":
+		return runtime.Error
+	case "waiting":
+		return runtime.Pending
+	case "terminated":
+		return runtime.Stopped
+	default:
+		return runtime.Unknown
+	}
+}
diff --git a/runtime/kubernetes/service.go b/runtime/kubernetes/service.go
index 508d55f9..07ae0d03 100644
--- a/runtime/kubernetes/service.go
+++ b/runtime/kubernetes/service.go
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func (s *service) Start(k client.Client, opts ...client.CreateOption) error {
 		if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
 			logger.Debugf("Runtime failed to create deployment: %v", err)
 		}
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		v := parseError(err)
 		if v.Reason == "AlreadyExists" {
 			return runtime.ErrAlreadyExists
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ func (s *service) Start(k client.Client, opts ...client.CreateOption) error {
 		if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
 			logger.Debugf("Runtime failed to create service: %v", err)
 		}
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		v := parseError(err)
 		if v.Reason == "AlreadyExists" {
 			return runtime.ErrAlreadyExists
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ func (s *service) Start(k client.Client, opts ...client.CreateOption) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	s.Status("started", nil)
+	s.Status(runtime.Running, nil)
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func (s *service) Stop(k client.Client, opts ...client.DeleteOption) error {
 		if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
 			logger.Debugf("Runtime failed to delete service: %v", err)
 		}
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		return err
 	}
 	// delete deployment once the service has been deleted
@@ -188,11 +188,11 @@ func (s *service) Stop(k client.Client, opts ...client.DeleteOption) error {
 		if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
 			logger.Debugf("Runtime failed to delete deployment: %v", err)
 		}
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		return err
 	}
 
-	s.Status("stopped", nil)
+	s.Status(runtime.Stopped, nil)
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func (s *service) Update(k client.Client, opts ...client.UpdateOption) error {
 		if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
 			logger.Debugf("Runtime failed to update deployment: %v", err)
 		}
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		return err
 	}
 	if err := k.Update(serviceResource(s.kservice), opts...); err != nil {
@@ -215,13 +215,13 @@ func (s *service) Update(k client.Client, opts ...client.UpdateOption) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (s *service) Status(status string, err error) {
+func (s *service) Status(status runtime.ServiceStatus, err error) {
+	s.Service.Status = status
 	s.Metadata["lastStatusUpdate"] = time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
+
 	if err == nil {
-		s.Metadata["status"] = status
 		delete(s.Metadata, "error")
 		return
 	}
-	s.Metadata["status"] = "error"
 	s.Metadata["error"] = err.Error()
 }
diff --git a/runtime/local/service.go b/runtime/local/service.go
index 08819eff..824ce488 100644
--- a/runtime/local/service.go
+++ b/runtime/local/service.go
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ func (s *service) Start() error {
 	if s.Metadata == nil {
 		s.Metadata = make(map[string]string)
 	}
-	s.Status("starting", nil)
+	s.Status(runtime.Starting, nil)
 
 	// TODO: pull source & build binary
 	if logger.V(logger.DebugLevel, logger.DefaultLogger) {
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ func (s *service) Start() error {
 
 	p, err := s.Process.Fork(s.Exec)
 	if err != nil {
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		return err
 	}
 	// set the pid
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ func (s *service) Start() error {
 	// set to running
 	s.running = true
 	// set status
-	s.Status("running", nil)
+	s.Status(runtime.Running, nil)
 	// set started
 	s.Metadata["started"] = time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
 
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ func (s *service) Start() error {
 }
 
 // Status updates the status of the service. Assumes it's called under a lock as it mutates state
-func (s *service) Status(status string, err error) {
+func (s *service) Status(status runtime.ServiceStatus, err error) {
+	s.Service.Status = status
 	s.Metadata["lastStatusUpdate"] = time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
-	s.Metadata["status"] = status
 	if err == nil {
 		delete(s.Metadata, "error")
 		return
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ func (s *service) Stop() error {
 		}
 
 		// set status
-		s.Status("stopping", nil)
+		s.Status(runtime.Stopping, nil)
 
 		// kill the process
 		err := s.Process.Kill(s.PID)
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ func (s *service) Stop() error {
 		}
 
 		// set status
-		s.Status("stopped", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Stopped, err)
 
 		// return the kill error
 		return err
@@ -240,12 +240,12 @@ func (s *service) Wait() {
 			logger.Errorf("Service %s terminated with error %s", s.Name, err)
 		}
 		s.retries++
-		s.Status("error", err)
+		s.Status(runtime.Error, err)
 		s.Metadata["retries"] = strconv.Itoa(s.retries)
 
 		s.err = err
 	} else {
-		s.Status("done", nil)
+		s.Status(runtime.Stopped, nil)
 	}
 
 	// no longer running
diff --git a/runtime/runtime.go b/runtime/runtime.go
index b06012e2..e8c6f914 100644
--- a/runtime/runtime.go
+++ b/runtime/runtime.go
@@ -97,6 +97,29 @@ type Event struct {
 	Options *CreateOptions
 }
 
+// ServiceStatus defines service statuses
+type ServiceStatus int
+
+const (
+	// Unknown indicates the status of the service is not known
+	Unknown ServiceStatus = iota
+	// Pending is the initial status of a service
+	Pending
+	// Building is the status when the service is being built
+	Building
+	// Starting is the status when the service has been started but is not yet ready to accept traffic
+	Starting
+	// Running is the status when the service is active and accepting traffic
+	Running
+	// Stopping is the status when a service is stopping
+	Stopping
+	// Stopped is the status when a service has been stopped or has completed
+	Stopped
+	// Error is the status when an error occured, this could be a build error or a run error. The error
+	// details can be found within the service's metadata
+	Error
+)
+
 // Service is runtime service
 type Service struct {
 	// Name of the service
@@ -107,6 +130,8 @@ type Service struct {
 	Source string
 	// Metadata stores metadata
 	Metadata map[string]string
+	// Status of the service
+	Status ServiceStatus
 }
 
 // Resources which are allocated to a serivce