200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
An automation engineer needs to retrieve the current running configuration from a Cisco IOS XE device using RESTCONF over HTTPS. The device supports the ietf-netconf-monitoring YANG module. Which HTTP method and URI should be used to fetch the configuration data represented by a specific YANG model?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the /restconf/data path used for configuration and state data with the /restconf/operations path used for invoking YANG RPCs.
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
✓
GET https://<device>/restconf/data/<yang-module>:<container>
RESTCONF exposes YANG-modeled data under the /restconf/data URI, and the colon-delimited path identifies the module and node. A GET is the safe, idempotent method for reading that resource. POST and PUT are write-oriented, and /restconf/operations is reserved for RPC invocation, so none of them retrieves configuration data. The engineer should issue a GET against the data path.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
POST https://<device>/restconf/data/<yang-module>:<container>
Why it's wrong here
POST to a data resource is used to create a child resource or invoke an operation, not to read existing configuration. Using POST here could unintentionally modify device state or return a 405 if the resource does not accept creation. The engineer wants to retrieve data, so a read-safe method is required, and POST does not satisfy that intent.
- ✓
GET https://<device>/restconf/data/<yang-module>:<container>
Why this is correct
RESTCONF maps YANG data nodes directly onto URI paths under /restconf/data, and GET retrieves the representation of the addressed resource. The colon separates the module name from the data node path, which is the standard convention. This is the correct way to read configuration or state data from a device that implements the RESTCONF protocol.
- ✗
GET https://<device>/restconf/operations/<yang-module>:<rpc>
Why it's wrong here
The /restconf/operations path is for invoking YANG-modeled RPCs, not for reading configuration data nodes. A GET on an operations path may return the input/output schema or fail depending on implementation, but it does not fetch the running configuration container the engineer needs. This path addresses actions rather than data.
- ✗
PUT https://<device>/restconf/data/<yang-module>:<container>
Why it's wrong here
PUT replaces or creates the target resource and is a write operation, so it would overwrite the configuration rather than retrieve it. It is also idempotent by design, meaning repeated calls produce the same state, which is the opposite of a read. The scenario requires fetching data, not replacing it, so this method is inappropriate.
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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.