What component should be added to a network to allow external user access to an application?

Adding a public gateway to a network is essential for allowing external user access to applications hosted within that network. A public gateway serves as an entry point that enables connectivity from the internet to internal resources. It translates external requests into a format that internal systems can understand and respond to, while simultaneously allowing the applications to remain accessible to users outside the organization.

The public gateway facilitates the necessary routing of traffic to ensure that users can interact with applications without compromising the internal network's security. This is especially important in scenarios where applications must be accessed remotely or by external clients who are not on the same local area network.

While other components like load balancers, firewalls, and private gateways serve significant roles within network architecture, they do not specifically address the need for external access in the same way a public gateway does. Load balancers help distribute traffic across multiple servers but do not provide direct external access. Firewalls control incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules but do not serve as the means to bring in public traffic. Private gateways are typically used in scenarios that require secure access from an internal network, focusing on private communications rather than public access.