Public IP address

Updated 27 October 2026

A public IP address is routed on the internet and reachable from anywhere, unlike a private address (RFC 1918) or a shared carrier-grade NAT address (RFC 6598). Public IPv4 addresses are distributed by the regional internet registries from the address space managed by IANA, and they are scarce.

In practice

A device with a public address quickly receives connection attempts from internet scanners. If it needs one, filter incoming traffic; if it does not, a private address and private delivery are safer.

Reference

• IANA IPv4 address space registry

Related terms

• Static IP address (fixed IP on a SIM)
• CGNAT (Carrier-grade NAT)
• Private IP address (RFC 1918)
• NAT (Network Address Translation)

Go further

• Internet delivery and static public IP
• IoT SIM cards and pricing
• Private delivery into your cloud