This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of understanding and using apis. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Cisco SD-WAN vManage API call to retrieve device inventory returns a 401 error. Which step is most likely missing?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The authentication token is expired or invalid
401 indicates authentication failure.
The request body is missing required fields
Why wrong: Missing fields lead to 400 Bad Request.
The device is unreachable
Why wrong: Unreachable device does not cause a 401 from vManage.
The API endpoint is incorrect
Why wrong: Incorrect endpoint leads to 404 Not Found.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The authentication token is expired or invalid
A 401 Unauthorized error in Cisco SD-WAN vManage API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. The vManage API uses token-based authentication (typically a JSON Web Token, JWT) obtained via a POST to /j_security_check or /authenticate. If the token is expired, malformed, or not included in the Authorization header, the API returns 401. This is the most likely cause because the other options would produce different HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 for missing fields, 502 for unreachable device, 404 for incorrect endpoint).
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
The authentication token is expired or invalid
Why this is correct
401 indicates authentication failure.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The request body is missing required fields
Why it's wrong here
Missing fields lead to 400 Bad Request.
The device is unreachable
Why it's wrong here
Unreachable device does not cause a 401 from vManage.
The API endpoint is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect endpoint leads to 404 Not Found.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between HTTP status codes (401 vs 400, 404, 502) to see if candidates understand that authentication failures produce a specific code, not generic errors.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, vManage API authentication uses a session-based token obtained via a POST to /j_security_check with username/password, which returns a JWT in the response. This token must be included in the Authorization header as 'Bearer <token>' for subsequent requests. The token has a configurable timeout (default 24 hours), and if expired, the API returns 401. In real-world scenarios, automation scripts often fail after token expiry if they don't implement token refresh logic.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
What to study next
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FAQ
Understanding and Using APIs — This question tests Understanding and Using APIs — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The authentication token is expired or invalid — A 401 Unauthorized error in Cisco SD-WAN vManage API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. The vManage API uses token-based authentication (typically a JSON Web Token, JWT) obtained via a POST to /j_security_check or /authenticate. If the token is expired, malformed, or not included in the Authorization header, the API returns 401. This is the most likely cause because the other options would produce different HTTP status codes (e.g., 400 for missing fields, 502 for unreachable device, 404 for incorrect endpoint).
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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