Borders define space, establish hierarchy and structure content.
Separators are visual elements that break apart or contain space, i.e., rules between objects or outlines on objects.
Controls are a subset of UI components that facilitate interaction within the application, i.e., Secondary Buttons, Button Groups and the Search Field. Control borders are used to outline these components and are not intended for use as separators.
Container borders create contrast between a layered component – such as a Popover or Dialog – and the background canvas on which it is layered.
Layered components – Dialog, Modal, Notifications, and Popover – only use containers with white backgrounds. Therefore, layered components only have one border variable that works across all backgrounds.