What type of IP address is routable on the internet?

Public IP addresses are those that are routable on the internet. These addresses are assigned to devices that need to communicate over the internet, allowing them to send and receive data from any other device connected to the internet. Public IP addresses are unique across the entire internet and are governed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

In comparison, private IP addresses are designated for use within local networks and cannot be routed on the internet. They are typically used for devices within a home or office, allowing them to communicate internally without being directly exposed to the internet. Although static IP addresses (which do not change and are manually assigned) and dynamic IP addresses (which can change and are assigned automatically) can both be public or private, the key distinction here is that only public IP addresses are routable on the internet. Thus, the nature of public IP addresses being directly addressable across the global internet space is what makes the correct answer valid.