What is the term for a unique IP address assigned to a device that can be accessed directly over the Internet?

A public IP address is a unique identifier assigned to a device that is accessible directly over the Internet. This type of address allows other devices on the Internet to identify and communicate with your device. Public IP addresses are necessary for any device that needs to send or receive information directly from the broader Internet, such as web servers, routers, and any devices where accessibility is required by external users.

In contrast, private IP addresses are used within a local network and are not routable on the Internet; they are meant for internal use only. Static IP addresses can be public or private, but they specifically refer to an IP address that does not change and is manually assigned to a device. Virtual IP addresses, on the other hand, are often used in load balancing and high-availability configurations and do not correspond directly to a physical device. Therefore, the term that best describes an IP address allowing direct access over the Internet is indeed the public IP address.