200-901 Cisco Platforms and Development Practice Question
Which API is used to execute CLI commands on Cisco IOS XE devices using on-device programmability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between on-device programmability (RESTCONF/NETCONF) and controller-based APIs (DNA Center), so the trap here is assuming that a centralized management API can directly execute CLI commands on a device, when in fact it only sends configuration intents to the controller.
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
✓
RESTCONF
RESTCONF is a RESTful API that uses HTTP methods to access structured data defined in YANG models, and on Cisco IOS XE devices, it can be used to execute CLI commands via the 'cli' YANG data model. This allows programmatic execution of CLI commands without requiring an interactive SSH session, making it the correct choice for on-device programmability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
RESTCONF
Why this is correct
RESTCONF can be used to retrieve data and execute operations on IOS XE.
- ✗
DNA Center API
Why it's wrong here
DNA Center is a controller, not on-device.
- ✗
Meraki Dashboard API
Why it's wrong here
Meraki API is for cloud-managed devices, not on-device.
- ✗
Webex API
Why it's wrong here
Webex API is for collaboration, not device configuration.
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JA
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.