What Is a Public IP Address?
A public IP address is an IP address that is globally unique and routable on the internet. It is assigned to your router by your ISP and is the address that websites, services, and other internet hosts see when you connect to them. Use our IP checker to see your current public IP, or look up any public IP to see what information it reveals.
How Public IPs Are Allocated
| Organization | Role | Region |
|---|
| IANA | Internet Assigned Numbers Authority - Manages the global IP address space | Global |
| ARIN | American Registry for Internet Numbers | North America |
| RIPE NCC | Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre | Europe, Middle East, Central Asia |
| APNIC | Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre | Asia-Pacific |
| LACNIC | Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre | Latin America |
| AFRINIC | African Network Information Centre | Africa |
| ISP | Receives blocks from RIRs and assigns individual IPs to customers | Local |
What Your Public IP Reveals
| Information | Accuracy | Who Can See It |
|---|
| Country | 99%+ | Any website or service you connect to |
| ISP / Organization name | Very high | Any website, via WHOIS/RDAP |
| City (approximate) | 50–80%% | Any website using geolocation databases |
| ASN (network identifier) | Very high | Any website or service |
| Your name / home address | Not revealed | Only your ISP (requires legal process) |
Protecting Your Public IP
- Use a VPN to replace your public IP with the VPN server's IP for all outbound connections - Then run a VPN leak test to confirm it's working.
- Avoid sharing your public IP in gaming chats, forums, or video streams - Screen share sessions can reveal it. Read what someone can do with your IP.
- Enable your router's SPI firewall to block unsolicited inbound connection attempts to your public IP.
- Check if your IP is on any email blacklists or flagged as a proxy or VPN exit node - This affects deliverability and access.
