hardMultiple Choice
200-901 Practice Question: A network automation script uses RESTCONF to…
A network automation script uses RESTCONF to configure a router. The script receives an HTTP 409 Conflict response. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between HTTP 409 Conflict (resource state conflict) and HTTP 400 Bad Request (malformed syntax), leading candidates to confuse a semantic conflict with a syntax error.
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
✓
The resource already exists
RESTCONF uses HTTP status codes to indicate the result of an operation. An HTTP 409 Conflict specifically means the request could not be completed due to a conflict with the current state of the resource. In the context of a network automation script using RESTCONF to configure a router, this most commonly occurs when the script attempts to create a resource (e.g., an interface or VLAN) that already exists, violating the resource's uniqueness constraint.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The resource already exists
Why this is correct
HTTP 409 Conflict signals that the request conflicts with the current state of the target resource, typically because the resource already exists. RESTCONF returns this when creating an object that is already present on the device.
- ✗
The router is unreachable
Why it's wrong here
An unreachable router produces a connection timeout or HTTP 503, not 409. It is tempting because connectivity failures are common in automation, but 409 means the server was reached and rejected the request due to a resource state conflict.
- ✗
The request body is malformed
Why it's wrong here
A malformed body returns HTTP 400 Bad Request, not 409. It is tempting because invalid payloads do cause configuration failures, but 409 signals a state conflict with the target resource, such as a duplicate or conflicting configuration, rather than a syntax or schema error.
- ✗
Incorrect authentication
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect authentication returns HTTP 401 Unauthorised or 403 Forbidden, not 409. It is tempting because credential problems are frequent, but 409 indicates the request reached an authenticated endpoint and conflicted with the current state of the target resource.
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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.