200-901 Understanding and Using APIs Practice Question
A developer is using the Cisco DNA Center API to retrieve device details. The API requires authentication using a token obtained from the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint. The token has an expiration time. Which HTTP status code indicates that the token has expired and a new one must be obtained?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse 401 Unauthorized with 403 Forbidden; 401 is for authentication failures, while 403 is for authorization failures.
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
✓
401 Unauthorized
An expired or invalid token results in a 401 Unauthorized response. This tells the client that authentication credentials are missing or invalid, prompting the client to obtain a new token. 403 indicates insufficient permissions, 404 means resource not found, and 500 is a server error. Only 401 specifically addresses authentication failure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
401 Unauthorized
Why this is correct
A 401 Unauthorized response indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. In the context of token-based authentication, if the token is expired or invalid, the server returns 401. The developer must then obtain a new token by re-authenticating. This status code specifically signals that the provided token is no longer accepted.
- ✗
500 Internal Server Error
Why it's wrong here
A 500 Internal Server Error indicates that the server encountered an unexpected condition. It is not related to client authentication. An expired token would be a client-side authentication issue, resulting in a 401, not a server error. So, 500 does not indicate token expiration.
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404 Not Found
Why it's wrong here
A 404 Not Found response indicates that the requested resource does not exist on the server. It is unrelated to authentication or token expiration. If the token were expired, the server would not return 404; it would indicate an authentication problem. Therefore, 404 is not the correct status code for an expired token.
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403 Forbidden
Why it's wrong here
A 403 Forbidden response means the server understood the request but refuses to authorize it. This typically occurs when the authenticated user does not have sufficient permissions, not when the token is expired. If the token is expired, the server would not recognize the user at all, leading to 401 rather than 403. So, 403 indicates an authorization issue, not an authentication failure.
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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 200-901 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.