All stars have a series of stages in their life cycles that typically include the following common stages:
- Nebula - The life of a star begins in a nebula, which is a cloud of gas and dust in space.
- Protostar - The nebula contracts under gravity, forming a protostar as it heats up.
- Main Sequence Star - Most stars spend the majority of their lives in the main sequence stage, where they fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores.
- Red Giant or Supergiant - After the main sequence, stars expand and become red giants or supergiants, depending on their mass.
- End Stages - Depending on the mass of the star, the end stages can be:
- White Dwarf for low to medium mass stars.
- Supernova followed by either a neutron star or black hole for massive stars.
Each star's life cycle can vary based on its mass, but the the initial stages (nebula, protostar, and main sequence) are common to all stars. In terms of your listed options, "nebula" and "protostar" are the stages that all stars have in common.