CCNA AI and Network Operations Practice Question
A network operations team wants to use a controller's API to automatically back up device configurations daily. The API provides a GET endpoint that returns the running configuration as JSON. Which consideration is most important when designing the automation to ensure reliable backups?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is focusing on authentication or transport security while overlooking that APIs often paginate and rate-limit responses, which directly affects backup completeness.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The script must handle pagination and rate limiting to avoid incomplete or failed requests.
Reliable API-driven backups require handling pagination and rate limiting, because APIs may return partial data or throttle excessive requests. Using GET is correct for retrieval, while POST is not. Storing tokens in URLs and disabling SSL verification are insecure practices that do not improve reliability. The key is to design for complete, uninterrupted data retrieval.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The script should disable SSL verification to speed up the backup process.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling SSL verification exposes the automation to man-in-the-middle attacks and violates security best practices. It does not improve reliability; it compromises integrity. The backup process should use proper certificate validation. Speed is not a valid reason to disable a critical security control.
- ✗
The script must store the API token in the URL to simplify authentication.
Why it's wrong here
Storing tokens in URLs is insecure and can leak credentials through logs and referrer headers. Authentication tokens should be sent in headers, such as Authorization or X-Auth-Token. This practice has no bearing on backup reliability and introduces security risks. The focus should be on secure, reliable retrieval.
- ✗
The script should use the POST method to retrieve the configuration for better performance.
Why it's wrong here
POST is not used for simple retrieval; it is for creating resources or invoking actions. Using POST to get a configuration is semantically incorrect and may not be supported. GET is the proper method for read operations. Performance is not improved by using POST, and it could cause unintended side effects.
- ✓
The script must handle pagination and rate limiting to avoid incomplete or failed requests.
Why this is correct
APIs often enforce pagination and rate limits. If the script ignores these, it may receive only a partial configuration or be throttled, leading to failed or incomplete backups. Implementing pagination handling and respecting rate limits ensures the full configuration is retrieved reliably. This is a critical design consideration for production automation.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
YANG Data Modelling
Key term
API
An API is a set of rules that allows software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other.
Key term
SSL
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a cryptographic protocol that encrypts data transmitted between a client and a server to ensure privacy and data integrity.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-301 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-301 exam.