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200-901 Practice Question: In a Cisco DNA Center environment, an application…
In a Cisco DNA Center environment, an application needs to retrieve the network device list using REST API. Which authentication method is required?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the authentication method used to obtain a token (Basic Auth) versus the method used to authorize subsequent API calls (Bearer token), leading candidates to mistakenly select Basic Authentication for all requests.
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
✓
Obtain an API token by POSTing credentials to /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token, then use the token in subsequent requests
Cisco DNA Center uses token-based authentication. The correct flow is to first send a POST request to the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint with a valid username and password (typically using Basic Authentication over HTTPS). The response contains a JSON Web Token (JWT) that must be included in the X-Auth-Token header of all subsequent API requests. This token has a configurable expiry (default 60 minutes) and must be refreshed before it expires.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant with client ID and secret
Why it's wrong here
OAuth 2.0 is not used; DNA Center uses a custom token endpoint.
- ✓
Obtain an API token by POSTing credentials to /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token, then use the token in subsequent requests
Why this is correct
DNA Center uses a token-based authentication; the token is passed in the X-Auth-Token header.
- ✗
Basic authentication with username and password in the header
Why it's wrong here
Basic auth is not recommended; the API expects a token.
- ✗
API key passed in a query parameter
Why it's wrong here
API keys are not used; the token is passed in the header.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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