easyMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: Is using the Cisco Meraki REST API to update the…
A network engineer is using the Cisco Meraki REST API to update the SSID settings for a wireless network. The engineer sends a PUT request to 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1/networks/{networkId}/wireless/ssids/{ssidNumber}' with a JSON payload containing the new settings. The API returns a 429 Too Many Requests error. What should the engineer do to resolve this issue?
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
✓
Implement exponential backoff and retry the request after a delay.
A 429 error indicates rate limiting; the API has received too many requests from the client within a given time frame. The engineer should implement exponential backoff and retry logic, or reduce the request rate.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement exponential backoff and retry the request after a delay.
Why this is correct
A 429 response signals rate limiting, not a malformed payload. Retrying immediately would compound the throttling, so exponential backoff with jitter spaces retries progressively until the Meraki API's rate window resets and the PUT succeeds.
- ✗
Change the HTTP method to POST because PUT is not supported for this endpoint.
Why it's wrong here
429 signals rate limiting, not an unsupported verb; PUT is the documented method for updating an SSID. POST targets collection endpoints for creation, so switching methods would not lift the throttle and would likely return a different error.
- ✗
Add an 'X-Cisco-Meraki-API-Key' header with a higher rate limit key.
Why it's wrong here
The API key identifies the organisation and its assigned rate limit; no header value grants a higher quota. 429 responses require honouring the Retry-After header and spacing requests, since Meraki enforces per-organisation call limits server-side.
- ✗
Use a different API endpoint, such as 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1/organizations/{orgId}/ssids'.
Why it's wrong here
No organisation-level SSID endpoint exists for updating a network's SSID configuration; that path is invalid. The 429 is a throttling response, so retrying the same correct endpoint after the Retry-After interval is what resolves it.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.