350-601 Automation Practice Question
Which TWO statements are true regarding the differences between REST API (NX-API) and NETCONF for automating Nexus switches?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that NETCONF only handles configuration (ignoring its <get> operation for operational state) and that NX-API uses SSH, when in fact NX-API uses HTTP/HTTPS and NETCONF uses SSH.
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
✓
NX-API uses HTTP/HTTPS as the transport protocol
NX-API (REST API) uses HTTP or HTTPS as its transport protocol, allowing RESTful operations (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) over standard web ports. This is in contrast to NETCONF, which uses SSH as its transport (RFC 6241). Therefore, option B is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
NETCONF can only be used for configuration, not for operational state
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF can retrieve operational state via <get> operations.
- ✓
NX-API uses HTTP/HTTPS as the transport protocol
Why this is correct
NX-API is a REST-based interface over HTTP/HTTPS.
- ✗
NETCONF primarily uses JSON for data encoding
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF uses XML encoding as per the standard.
- ✓
NETCONF provides a standardized data model (YANG) for configuration
Why this is correct
NETCONF tightly integrates with YANG models for structured configuration.
- ✗
Both use SSH as their default transport
Why it's wrong here
NX-API uses HTTP/HTTPS, not SSH; NETCONF uses SSH.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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