200-901 Understanding and Using APIs Practice Question
A developer is building a script to retrieve a list of network devices from Cisco DNA Center. The API response includes a 'nextToken' field in the body to indicate more results. What pagination method is being used?
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
✓
Cursor-based pagination
Cursor-based pagination uses a token (e.g., nextToken) to point to the next set of results, unlike offset/limit which uses page numbers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cursor-based pagination
Why this is correct
The nextToken field is an opaque cursor marking the next page position; the client returns it unchanged to fetch subsequent results. This is cursor-based pagination, distinct from offset or page-number schemes that use numeric limits and offsets.
- ✗
Page-based pagination
Why it's wrong here
Cursor-based pagination returns an opaque nextToken; page-based pagination instead uses page numbers and page-size parameters. The token indicates the API follows the cursor model, where the server supplies the marker for the next result set. Page-based pagination would be correct for APIs exposing explicit page and limit query parameters.
- ✗
Offset/Limit pagination
Why it's wrong here
Offset/limit pagination uses page and size parameters, returning totals rather than an opaque continuation value. It is tempting because it is a common REST pattern, but DNA Center's nextToken is a cursor, so offset arithmetic cannot reproduce the server's result set.
- ✗
Link header pagination
Why it's wrong here
Link header pagination places next, prev, first and last URLs in the HTTP Link response header, not in the JSON body. It is tempting because both are cursor-style, but DNA Center returns nextToken inside the body, which the client must resubmit as a parameter.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-901 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 200-901 exam.