200-901 Cisco platforms explained
Cisco Platforms and Development is 15% of 200-901. It is the part of the exam that is specific to Cisco, and the part with the most facts to memorise. You need to know what each platform manages, how its API authenticates, what the typical objects are, and how to read or write a short script that calls it. Cisco names the platforms in the exam topics, so the list below follows that outline.
Network management platforms
| Platform | What it manages | API notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meraki | Cloud-managed networks | Dashboard REST API; organizations contain networks, which contain devices; API key in a header |
| Catalyst Center | Campus and branch networks | A login call returns a token; later calls send it in the X-Auth-Token header; the intent API lists devices and clients |
| ACI | Data center fabric | APIC REST API; objects form a managed-object tree |
| Catalyst SD-WAN | WAN overlay | Controller API with a session token |
| NSO | Multi-vendor service orchestration | YANG-based models; RESTCONF and NETCONF |
A typical exam item shows a few lines of Python that authenticate and list devices, then asks which platform it targets or which header is missing.
Compute, collaboration and security
| Area | Platforms from the outline | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | UCS Manager, Intersight | UCS Manager manages domains on premises; Intersight is the cloud operations platform |
| Collaboration | Webex, Webex devices, Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) | Webex has spaces, memberships and messages; CUCM offers AXL (SOAP and XML, configuration) and UDS (REST, user data) |
| Security | XDR, Firepower, Secure Connect, Secure Endpoint, ISE, Secure Malware Analytics | Know the job of each: detection and response, firewall policy, endpoint protection, network access control, file analysis |
For Webex the objective is practical: manage spaces, participants and messages. That means creating a space, adding a person as a member of it, and posting a message, each a call to the Webex REST API with a bearer token.
Device-level APIs and model-driven programmability
Platforms manage many devices; the device itself also exposes interfaces. IOS XE supports NETCONF, RESTCONF and YANG models. NX-OS supports them too and adds NX-API.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| YANG | Language that models configuration and state data |
| NETCONF | XML over SSH, port 830 by convention |
| RESTCONF | HTTP methods over HTTPS against YANG data; JSON or XML |
| Why use them | Structured, consistent data instead of scraping CLI text |
The exam asks you to apply these ideas in a Cisco environment, for instance by choosing RESTCONF for an HTTP-based script against a device.
SDKs
An SDK wraps an API in language objects, so you call a method instead of building a URL. The objective is to construct a Python script that uses a Cisco SDK given its documentation: import the library, create a client with credentials, call the documented method, read the result. When a question hands you the documentation, follow it literally.
DevNet resources
| Need | Resource |
|---|---|
| Try an API without hardware | Sandbox |
| Find sample code and projects | Code Exchange |
| Guided tutorials | Learning Labs |
| Ask for help | Support and forums |
| Exact call syntax | API documentation |
Constructing code from requirements
The outline lists three tasks: obtain a list of network devices from Meraki, Catalyst Center, ACI, SD-WAN or NSO; manage spaces, participants and messages in Webex; and obtain a list of clients or hosts from Meraki or Catalyst Center. Each is the same pattern: authenticate, call the documented GET endpoint, loop through the JSON.
Example questions
Question 1. A Python script posts to a Cisco login endpoint with basic credentials, stores the returned token, and sends it in an X-Auth-Token header on a request that lists network devices. Which platform does this most likely target?
- A. Meraki Dashboard
- B. Catalyst Center
- C. Webex
- D. CUCM AXL
Show answer
Answer: B
The token request followed by an X-Auth-Token header is the Catalyst Center pattern, and listing devices is a core intent API call. Meraki normally uses an API key issued in the dashboard, not a login call. Webex uses bearer tokens for spaces and messages, not network devices. CUCM AXL is a SOAP interface for telephony configuration.
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Question 2. A developer wants to read and change device configuration over HTTPS using JSON, based on YANG models, without parsing CLI output. Which interface fits?
- A. Screen scraping the CLI over SSH
- B. NETCONF over SSH
- C. RESTCONF
- D. SNMP polling
Show answer
Answer: C
RESTCONF exposes YANG-modelled data over HTTP methods and HTTPS with JSON or XML. Screen scraping over SSH returns unstructured text. NETCONF is also model driven but uses XML over SSH, not HTTP and JSON. SNMP polling reads management data but is not a YANG-based configuration interface over HTTPS.
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Question 3. A new team member wants to test Cisco APIs against reservable lab environments without buying equipment. Which DevNet resource should you recommend?
- A. Sandbox
- B. Code Exchange
- C. The support forums
- D. The API documentation
Show answer
Answer: A
DevNet Sandbox offers hosted environments for trying Cisco APIs and SDKs for free. Code Exchange is a catalogue of code projects. The forums are for asking questions. API documentation describes calls but gives no environment to run them against.
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Next: application deployment and security. The platforms are all reached with the request skills in APIs explained.