200-901 Cisco Platforms and Development Practice Question
A developer is writing a Python script to interact with a Cisco DNA Center controller. The script needs to authenticate and obtain a token to make subsequent API calls. Which authentication method should the developer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that DNA Center uses OAuth or static API keys like other platforms, when it actually uses a custom token endpoint with Basic Auth.
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
✓
POST to /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token with Basic Auth credentials to obtain a token.
Cisco DNA Center API authentication requires a POST request to the '/dna/system/api/v1/auth/token' endpoint with Basic Auth credentials. The response includes a token that must be used in the 'X-Auth-Token' header for subsequent calls. This token-based approach ensures secure and session-managed access.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Generate an API key in the DNA Center GUI and include it in the X-API-Key header.
Why it's wrong here
Cisco DNA Center does not use static API keys. Instead, it issues temporary tokens that expire after a period (typically 1 hour). There is no GUI option to generate a permanent API key. The developer must authenticate with credentials to receive a token. Using an X-API-Key header will not work and will result in authentication failure.
- ✓
POST to /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token with Basic Auth credentials to obtain a token.
Why this is correct
Cisco DNA Center uses token-based authentication. The developer must send a POST request to the '/dna/system/api/v1/auth/token' endpoint with the username and password encoded in Base64 in the Authorization header. The response contains a token that must be included in subsequent API calls as 'X-Auth-Token'. This is the standard method for DNA Center API authentication.
- ✗
HTTP Basic Authentication with username and password in the Authorization header.
Why it's wrong here
Cisco DNA Center does not support HTTP Basic Authentication for API access. While Basic Auth is simple, DNA Center requires a token-based authentication for security and session management. Using Basic Auth will result in a 401 Unauthorized error. The correct method is to POST credentials to the authentication endpoint to receive a token.
- ✗
Use OAuth 2.0 with a client ID and client secret to obtain an access token.
Why it's wrong here
Cisco DNA Center does not use OAuth 2.0 for API authentication. OAuth is used by other Cisco platforms like Webex, but DNA Center uses a custom token-based system. Attempting OAuth will fail because the necessary endpoints and grant types are not supported. The correct approach is to use the DNA Center authentication API to get a token.
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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
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