The networking industry is undergoing a significant transformation. The days of solely configuring individual devices through manual commands are fading. Modern infrastructures demand automation, programmability, and API-driven operations. This is reshaping roles traditionally classified as “network engineer” or “infrastructure specialist.” Networking is merging with software development and DevOps, prompting employers to look for professionals who can code, integrate systems, and build efficient workflows.
The Cisco 200‑901 DevNet Associate certification was created with this evolution in mind. It represents a forward-looking credential that confirms proficiency in network automation, application development, and programmability. Rather than memorizing a CLI command set, candidates demonstrate their abilities to write Python scripts, leverage REST APIs, interact with Cisco platforms, and automate real network tasks. Passing the 200‑901 is not about getting another add‑on line to a resume—it’s about signalling that you are ready for network environments of tomorrow.
Networking Roles Are Changing
Ten years ago, a network engineer’s typical day might have involved running show commands, creating VLANs, configuring spanning-tree, or setting static routes. Today, those same tasks may be done automatically via scripts or workflows triggered from version control. Infrastructure as code, CI/CD for network changes, API‑based service provisioning—all of these are becoming standard practices.
Expectations have grown accordingly. Companies now want engineers who can:
- Read and write code to automate provisioning and troubleshooting
- Integrate network devices with orchestration tools
- Understand security programmatically, not just through device ACLs
- Use modern workflows for deployment, rollback, and change tracking
In this context, the 200‑901 DevNet Associate shows you don’t just know traditional networking—you can bring software and automation into it.
Who Benefits Most from Cisco 200‑901
Not all IT roles require coding, but when your job touches networking, DevOps, or platform integration, this certification is strategic. Five main audiences gain clear advantages:
Network Engineers shifting to automated workflows: If your team is moving toward cloud-native operations, SD‑WAN, or centralized orchestration, then familiarity with Python, REST APIs, JSON, and YAML will make you more effective and future-proof.
Software developers working on network‑aware applications: Applications that require interaction with Cisco platforms—whether via Webex APIs, DNA Center APIs, or Cisco Meraki endpoints—are more reliable when creators understand how network infrastructure behaves and integrates.
IT professionals moving into infrastructure automation: For those from traditional server or storage backgrounds, learning how to programmatically configure networks is a crucial skill as systems converge.
DevOps engineers: For DevOps roles that handle infrastructure as code, toolchain integration, CI/CD pipelines, and container orchestration, this certification shows you can extend automation from servers into network domains.
Cloud or SDN architects: Designing resilient, self‑service environments requires infrastructure components—including network—exposed through APIs, testable by automation, and responsive to code‑based policies.
Map of the 200‑901 Exam Content
The 200‑901 DevNet Associate exam is built around four core topics that reflect real‑world developer‑network professional workflows:
- Software Development and Design
Candidates must demonstrate understanding of basic programming concepts and tools: variables, control flow, error handling, object‑oriented basics, plus practical use of Git for version control. Emphasis is placed on Python scripting, code modularization, testing, and debugging. - Infrastructure and Automation Fundamentals
This area reviews traditional networking protocols, addressing, and common architectures, but emphasizes how to automate and maintain these through code. In short, learn networks—but learn to address, configure, and monitor them programmatically. - APIs: Application Programming Interfaces
REST APIs, endpoints, payload formats (JSON, XML), HTTP methods, and status codes are covered. Understanding how to authenticate, parse, and use APIs against Cisco platforms like DNA Center, IOS‑XE, and Cisco Meraki is expected. - Application Deployment and Security
Modern workflows require packaging applications into Docker containers or similar formats, understanding continuous deployment pipelines, and securing logic (API keys, JWT, OAuth). Security is not optional: you’ll need to know how to protect credentials, enforce least privilege, and defend against vulnerabilities.
What You Need Before You Start
The 200‑901 exam has no prerequisites, but certain background knowledge makes preparation much smoother:
Basic networking fundamentals
Even if the focus is automation, you must understand how networks work: IPv4/IPv6 addressing, VLANs, routing fundamentals, TCP/UDP, and basic device operations.
Introductory programming knowledge
Candidates should be familiar enough with Python to write simple scripts: using loops, data structures (lists, dicts), modular code (functions and modules), exception handling, and reading/writing JSON or YAML files.
Version control with Git
You need to know how to clone a repository, make commits, understand branches, resolve simple conflicts, and push/pull—these are core to development workflows.
Familiarity with REST APIs
Understanding HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), status codes (200, 400, 401, 404), and JSON manipulation is essential. If you’ve already worked with Postman or curl, you’re on the right track.
If you’ve used configuration tools like Ansible, Terraform, or Puppet, even better—the exam environment mirrors these real‑world workflows.
Career Impact and Demand
What sets Cisco DevNet apart is that it addresses a growing skills gap: there are plenty of network professionals, and plenty of software developers. But those who can bridge both domains are rare and highly valued. This dual‑literate skill set can unlock roles such as:
- Automation Engineer
- Network Software Engineer
- DevOps Network Specialist
- Infrastructure Developer
And often these titles come with upgraded responsibilities, broader team involvement, and better compensation. Early‑career professionals with this mix of skills already command starting ranges in the upper tier for entry-level roles. Mid‑career DevNet specialists, especially those who also hold router/switch/security certifications, can move into infrastructure automation leadership, earning well into the six‑figures.
Software Development and Design for the Cisco 200-901 DevNet Associate
Understanding networking is no longer enough. Today’s IT professionals are expected to move comfortably between switch ports and script editors, routers and repositories. The Cisco 200-901 DevNet Associate exam reflects this shift by demanding foundational skills in software development and design. These aren’t abstract programming theories—they’re practical skills used to build, automate, and extend the modern network.
Programming Concepts: Building with Purpose
At the heart of this section lies Python. Python is the de facto language for automation in networking because of its simplicity, readability, and strong community support. You’ll need to understand how Python works, and how it can be used to interact with devices, APIs, and data.
The exam covers basic constructs:
- Variables and data types (strings, integers, lists, dictionaries)
- Control structures (if-else, for and while loops)
- Functions (creating, calling, passing parameters)
- Error handling using try-except blocks
- Working with libraries and modules
The goal is to test your ability to read, write, and troubleshoot Python scripts that perform real tasks like parsing data, handling REST API responses, or automating configurations.
Here’s a simple example: a Python script that fetches and prints an API response.
python
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import requests
url = “http://example.com/api/devices”
response = requests.get(url)
if response.status_code == 200:
data = response.json()
for device in data[“devices”]:
print(f”Device ID: {device[‘id’]}, Status: {device[‘status’]}”)
else:
print(“Failed to retrieve device data.”)
Understanding how such scripts are constructed, debugged, and extended is crucial not only for the exam, but also for your daily work in programmable networking environments.
Python Libraries and Tools for Network Automation
Cisco doesn’t expect you to memorize every library function, but they do expect familiarity with commonly used libraries and their roles:
- requests: For interacting with RESTful APIs
- json: For parsing and formatting API responses
- os and sys: For interacting with the system environment
- yaml: For reading structured configuration files
- time and datetime: For scheduling or monitoring time-based events
Learning how to leverage external libraries is key to making your scripts more powerful and concise. You may also use libraries like netmiko or paramiko in practical scenarios, even if they are not central to the exam content. These help with SSH-based device interactions when APIs are not available.
Version Control with Git: Collaboration and History
One of the major shifts in infrastructure work is the move from manual configuration to version-controlled, auditable, and shareable codebases. Git is the tool that enables this. The 200-901 exam expects you to know how Git works, how to collaborate with others, and how to maintain a clean project history.
Key concepts include:
- Repositories: creating, cloning, and organizing code
- Commits: tracking changes with meaningful messages
- Branching: creating separate versions for features or fixes
- Merging: combining changes and resolving conflicts
- Pushing and pulling: syncing changes with remote repositories
Even in solo projects, Git is essential. It provides a timeline of changes and allows for recovery, rollback, and structured development.
A simple workflow would involve:
- Cloning a DevNet sandbox repository
- Creating a new branch for a custom automation script
- Testing and committing changes
- Merging into the main branch and pushing updates
This workflow is a daily reality for DevNet professionals working on shared scripts and infrastructure-as-code projects. Understanding this lifecycle helps prepare you for work in environments that emphasize team collaboration and deployment consistency.
APIs, JSON, and XML: Speaking the Language of the Network
In the world of programmable infrastructure, devices don’t just wait for CLI commands—they speak through APIs. Application Programming Interfaces allow developers to programmatically read and modify the state of a device or platform. Cisco platforms like DNA Center, Meraki, and Webex expose rich sets of REST APIs.
You need to understand:
- The structure of REST APIs
- HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
- HTTP status codes (200 OK, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 404 Not Found)
- Authentication types (basic auth, API keys, OAuth tokens)
- Data formats: JSON (primary), XML (less common)
JSON is especially important because it’s used in nearly every interaction between scripts and network APIs. Understanding how to extract values, modify structures, and send well-formatted JSON payloads is a key DevNet skill.
Example of parsing JSON in Python:
python
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import json
json_response = ‘{“device”: {“id”: “router1”, “status”: “active”}}’
parsed = json.loads(json_response)
print(parsed[“device”][“status”]) # Output: active
You must be able to look at a JSON response, understand its structure, and write scripts that react accordingly.
Data Models and Serialization: YAML and XML
While JSON is the primary format used in DevNet, you should also be aware of YAML and XML. YAML is popular for configuration files in DevOps tools like Ansible, and XML is still present in older APIs and structured documents.
You should know how to:
- Identify differences between JSON, XML, and YAML
- Read and interpret nested data structures
- Serialize and deserialize data for API communication
Even though you might not write XML or YAML often, the ability to understand and work with these formats remains a valuable skill.
Software Design Patterns and Concepts
The 200-901 exam doesn’t go deep into software engineering theory, but it does expect familiarity with essential design concepts that help you write cleaner, more efficient code.
Key principles include:
- DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself): Reusing code via functions and modules
- Modularization: Breaking code into logical components
- Reusability: Writing code that can be imported across scripts
- Readability: Naming variables clearly and commenting code
These principles are not abstract; they help you build automation tools that are easier to maintain, share, and expand over time.
Example of modularization:
python
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# file: network_utils.py
def get_device_status(device):
return f”Device {device[‘id’]} is {device[‘status’]}”
# file: main_script.py
from network_utils import get_device_status
device = {“id”: “Switch001”, “status”: “up”}
print(get_device_status(device))
This structure makes it easier to reuse your code in larger projects.
Unit Testing and Code Validation
Reliable automation scripts are tested before deployment. Unit testing is the practice of verifying that each piece of code (usually functions) performs as expected. While DevNet doesn’t require you to build large test frameworks, you should understand the value of:
- Using test functions to validate logic
- Asserting expected results
- Catching exceptions and errors before production use
Python’s built-in unittest module allows you to write tests like:
python
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import unittest
def add(x, y):
return x + y
class TestMathFunctions(unittest.TestCase):
def test_add(self):
self.assertEqual(add(2, 3), 5)
Learning basic assertions helps you reduce bugs and ensures your automation behaves correctly across updates.
Using Development Environments
While many scripts start in simple text editors, most DevNet professionals use Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) to streamline writing, debugging, and managing code. The exam assumes awareness of popular tools like:
- Visual Studio Code: supports Python, Git, API testing, and YAML out of the box
- Postman: helps test and document APIs before automating them
- Docker: packages apps and services into containers for predictable deployment
- DevNet Sandbox: simulates real Cisco platforms for hands-on testing
You don’t need to master every tool, but you should understand how they contribute to the modern development lifecycle. For example, using VS Code with Git integration and Postman side-by-side mimics real-world DevNet workflows.
Continuous Integration and Software Pipelines
Though more advanced concepts like full CI/CD pipelines fall into higher-level certifications, the 200-901 exam introduces the basics of continuous integration. This involves:
- Automatically testing code when pushed to a repository
- Using scripts to automate deployment
- Avoiding manual errors during repetitive tasks
The takeaway is that automation scales better with structured workflows. You should understand how automation scripts can be tested and deployed automatically, and how this fits into network changes or DevOps pipelines.
Software Development for DevNet
The 200-901 DevNet Associate exam wants candidates to do more than recite code snippets. It wants proof that you understand how scripts interact with network devices, how version control structures collaboration, and how to use APIs to manage infrastructure. These aren’t isolated programming tasks—they are integrated into real business outcomes.
Software development isn’t just for developers anymore. It’s a core skill for anyone building or managing IT systems. Whether automating switch configs, querying telemetry data, or deploying infrastructure via CI/CD, the code you write becomes the operational language of your environment.
As you build confidence in these areas, you’re not just preparing for an exam—you’re transforming into a versatile, in-demand professional capable of bridging the traditional divide between software and networking.
APIs and Network Automation for Cisco DevNet Associate 200-901
The rise of programmable networking has shifted the conversation from hardware configuration to service orchestration. At the center of this transformation are Application Programming Interfaces, commonly known as APIs. APIs enable communication between applications and devices in a predictable, structured way. For network engineers and DevOps professionals pursuing the Cisco 200-901 DevNet Associate certification, understanding how to work with APIs is no longer a nice-to-have skill—it is a fundamental requirement.
The Shift from Manual Configuration to API-Driven Infrastructure
Traditional network management was dominated by device-by-device configurations using command-line interfaces. While this provided granular control, it was also time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to scale. Changes took longer to implement, updates weren’t always consistent, and tracking configuration history was difficult.
The modern alternative is an API-driven model. In this model, the network becomes programmable. Devices, controllers, and services expose REST APIs that allow you to query, configure, and monitor them automatically. Rather than logging into dozens of routers to apply changes manually, engineers write scripts that push configuration data to all of them simultaneously.
This shift enables true network automation, which leads to improved operational efficiency, fewer manual errors, better scalability, and faster deployment of changes.
What Is an API and How Do REST APIs Work?
An API is a contract between a provider (like a Cisco device or platform) and a consumer (like your Python script). It defines the allowed interactions, the required inputs, and the expected outputs.
Most modern network platforms use REST APIs. REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is an architectural style for building web-based APIs that use standard HTTP methods.
Key components of REST APIs include:
- Endpoints: The URL that represents a resource, such as a network device or interface.
- Methods: The actions you can perform. These include GET (retrieve data), POST (create new data), PUT (update existing data), and DELETE (remove data).
- Payloads: The data sent with requests, often in JSON format.
- Headers: Metadata such as authentication tokens and content types.
- Status Codes: Numeric indicators of response success or failure. Common ones include 200 for success, 404 for not found, and 401 for unauthorized.
Understanding these elements is critical to performing tasks such as retrieving interface status, configuring devices, or collecting telemetry data.
Common HTTP Methods in Network Automation
The following methods are used to interact with network devices and services via REST APIs:
- GET: Requests information without changing anything. Used to view configurations, device status, or statistics.
- POST: Submits new data to the API. Used to create resources such as VLANs, users, or policies.
- PUT: Updates an existing resource with new data.
- DELETE: Removes an existing resource.
Each of these methods works in combination with endpoints and JSON payloads. For example, a POST request to a Cisco DNA Center endpoint might create a new network profile.
Example of a Python GET request:
python
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import requests
url = “https://dnacenter.example.com/api/v1/network-device”
headers = {
“Content-Type”: “application/json”,
“X-Auth-Token”: “your_auth_token_here”
}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
print(response.json())
This script retrieves a list of devices from Cisco DNA Center. Scripts like this are the backbone of modern network automation.
Authentication for API Access
Most APIs require authentication to prevent unauthorized access. The Cisco 200-901 exam expects you to understand common authentication mechanisms used in APIs:
- Basic Authentication: Sends a username and password encoded in base64.
- Token-Based Authentication: Uses an authentication token provided after logging in with credentials. This token is passed in the header of subsequent requests.
- OAuth 2.0: A more advanced method involving access tokens and refresh tokens, commonly used in platforms like Webex.
Cisco DNA Center and Meraki APIs typically use token-based authentication. Your script first sends a login request and retrieves a token, which is then used in the headers of all subsequent API calls.
Example of token-based login:
python
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auth_url = “https://dnacenter.example.com/api/v1/auth/token”
response = requests.post(auth_url, auth=(“username”, “password”))
token = response.json()[“Token”]
Understanding how to obtain and use authentication tokens is crucial for accessing secured API endpoints.
Working with Cisco DNA Center APIs
Cisco DNA Center is a powerful network controller that provides centralized management and analytics for enterprise networks. Its APIs expose nearly every function available in the UI, from device discovery and inventory management to policy application and telemetry collection.
DNA Center’s API categories include:
- Device Management: Retrieve and manage network devices.
- Topology: Discover network relationships.
- Configuration: Apply settings and templates.
- Assurance: Monitor device health and performance metrics.
To use DNA Center APIs, you typically:
- Authenticate and get a token.
- Use GET requests to discover devices.
- Use POST or PUT requests to apply changes.
- Collect assurance data using analytics endpoints.
DNA Center’s APIs return data in structured JSON format. Your scripts parse these responses and make decisions accordingly.
Automating Tasks with Cisco Meraki APIs
Cisco Meraki offers cloud-managed networking. Its dashboard APIs allow automation of tasks such as:
- Provisioning devices
- Creating networks
- Updating VLANs
- Managing wireless SSIDs
- Collecting usage statistics
Unlike DNA Center, Meraki APIs are cloud-native and require an API key tied to a dashboard account. This key is used as a header in each request.
Example request:
python
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headers = {
“X-Cisco-Meraki-API-Key”: “your_meraki_key”,
“Content-Type”: “application/json”
}
response = requests.get(“https://api.meraki.com/api/v1/organizations”, headers=headers)
print(response.json())
Meraki’s APIs are simple, consistent, and widely used in real-world deployments. Automation with Meraki is highly valuable for managing distributed networks.
Automating Webex with APIs
Cisco Webex APIs allow developers to build collaboration applications. These APIs support functionality such as:
- Creating or managing meetings and spaces
- Sending messages
- Managing user accounts
Webex APIs use OAuth 2.0 for secure access. They return data in JSON and are often used in scripts that monitor meeting rooms, send alerts, or integrate messaging into automation workflows.
Building Network Automation Workflows
Once you understand how to authenticate and make API requests, the next step is building workflows that automate real network tasks. This involves chaining multiple requests together, handling conditions, and processing results.
Example workflow:
- Get a list of devices from Cisco DNA Center.
- Filter out only switches.
- For each switch, collect interface statistics.
- If bandwidth usage exceeds a threshold, log the issue or trigger an alert.
Such workflows are created using Python scripts that loop through JSON data, call multiple endpoints, and make decisions based on conditions. These scripts bring intelligence and agility to network management.
Integrating Automation into DevOps Pipelines
API-driven network automation isn’t limited to isolated scripts. It is increasingly integrated into DevOps workflows. This allows:
- Automated provisioning of test environments
- Configuration consistency through templates
- Continuous validation of policies and health
- Infrastructure changes as part of application releases
Tools like Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, and GitLab CI/CD can be used to orchestrate network automation pipelines. While these tools are not directly tested in the 200-901 exam, understanding the role of automation in broader systems helps you prepare for advanced certifications and real job scenarios.
Handling API Errors and Exceptions
Automation requires robustness. When scripts interact with APIs, they must be able to handle errors such as:
- Invalid credentials
- Network timeouts
- Unexpected response formats
- Rate limiting or API throttling
You should always check HTTP response codes and implement retry logic or error logging where needed.
Example:
python
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if response.status_code != 200:
print(“Error:”, response.status_code)
else:
data = response.json()
Knowing how to interpret error messages and build resilience into your scripts is a critical DevNet skill.
Using DevNet Sandbox Environments for Practice
While practicing is not part of the exam itself, being hands-on with Cisco’s API endpoints reinforces your understanding. Cisco offers sandbox environments where you can test real API calls without needing physical devices. You can simulate API requests, analyze responses, and build practical scripts. Practicing API-based automation in a sandbox builds confidence, skills, and experience.
APIs and automation represent the core of programmable networking. Mastering REST APIs, authentication, JSON parsing, and scripting workflows are essential skills for any DevNet Associate candidate. These abilities allow you to automate repetitive tasks, create intelligent monitoring solutions, integrate platforms, and reduce operational errors. From Cisco DNA Center to Meraki and Webex, you gain the power to control infrastructure through clean, scalable code.
You are no longer limited to device-by-device commands. With APIs, your entire network becomes an interface—a programmable surface ready to respond to your logic.
Conclusion:
The Cisco 200-901 DevNet Associate certification stands as a clear marker of where the networking industry is headed. It signals a new era—one where engineers are no longer confined to racks and cables, but instead empowered by scripts, APIs, and scalable automation. This shift isn’t just technological; it’s cultural. It redefines how infrastructure is built, operated, and evolved. The traditional divide between networking and development is dissolving, replaced by hybrid roles that require fluency in both command-line precision and code-based logic.
What makes the DevNet Associate certification so important today is its practicality. It teaches skills that reflect real-world demands. Whether you’re pushing configuration to routers using Python, retrieving network telemetry through REST APIs, or automating responses to performance issues using scripts, this certification prepares you for it all. It’s not about memorizing textbook definitions—it’s about proving you can build the future of infrastructure.
More importantly, it fills a growing gap in the job market. Companies struggle to find professionals who can bridge networking with automation, who understand both how a BGP update propagates and how to commit code in Git. With DevNet, you become that rare, cross-functional expert—a professional who can diagnose routing issues and automate their resolution, who can write APIs into workflows, and who knows how to secure infrastructure programmatically.
For early-career professionals, the DevNet Associate offers a competitive edge. You’re no longer just another candidate who understands VLANs or subnetting. You’re someone who can integrate that knowledge into modern deployment pipelines and agile practices. For experienced network engineers, it offers a pathway to stay current and relevant. It gives your years of experience a new dimension by adding automation, development, and orchestration to your toolkit.
Even if your daily tasks today still include CLI configurations or manual provisioning, the industry won’t stay in place. Automation is accelerating. Cloud-native architectures are becoming the default. Infrastructure as code is the new standard. The sooner you adopt this mindset, the better positioned you’ll be to lead rather than follow.
The topics covered in the 200-901 exam—Python, APIs, Git, containerization, network programmability—aren’t isolated skills. They are part of an interconnected ecosystem that underpins enterprise digital transformation. These are the skills that let you build scripts that deploy networks like software, verify their integrity automatically, and track every change across time. These are the skills that drive efficiency, resilience, and scalability in modern organizations.
The DevNet certification doesn’t just make you more hirable. It makes you more agile, more informed, and more in control of the networks you manage. It trains you to think like a developer while solving infrastructure problems with a network engineer’s precision. That combination is powerful. It’s transformative. And it’s what today’s and tomorrow’s employers are actively searching for.
Ultimately, the Cisco 200-901 DevNet Associate matters because it captures the essence of a new breed of IT professional—one who automates, integrates, and innovates. It’s a credential that proves you’re not stuck in yesterday’s models. You’re fluent in the language of programmable infrastructure, and you’re ready to help shape the networks that connect the world.
Whether you aim to build smarter networks, take on DevOps responsibilities, or drive cloud-native transformations, DevNet Associate is your entry point. It’s not just a badge. It’s a foundation for a future where networks are not configured—they’re coded. And you will be the one writing that code.