350-401 Automation Practice Question
Which TWO statements are true about RESTCONF and NETCONF in a Cisco IOS XE environment? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that both protocols support JSON and XML equally, or that NETCONF uses HTTP, leading candidates to select option D or C incorrectly.
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 uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and supports JSON and XML encoding.
RESTCONF is designed to use standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH) for CRUD operations on YANG-defined data, and it supports both JSON and XML encoding formats. This aligns with its goal of providing a simpler, web-friendly interface compared to NETCONF.
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 uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and supports JSON and XML encoding.
Why this is correct
RESTCONF indeed uses HTTP methods and supports JSON and XML.
- ✗
RESTCONF supports the candidate datastore for editing configurations.
Why it's wrong here
RESTCONF works only on the running datastore; candidate is supported by NETCONF.
- ✗
NETCONF uses HTTP as its transport protocol.
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF uses SSH as its transport, not HTTP.
- ✗
RESTCONF and NETCONF both support JSON and XML encoding.
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF uses XML only; RESTCONF supports both.
- ✓
NETCONF uses XML-encoded RPCs over a secure SSH session.
Why this is correct
NETCONF uses XML over SSH.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Spine-Leaf and Software-Defined Network Architectures
Key term
REST API for Network Devices
A REST API for network devices is a set of rules that allows software applications to communicate with routers, switches, and firewalls using standard web methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE over HTTP or HTTPS.
Key term
NETCONF Protocol
NETCONF is a network management protocol that uses a structured data format to configure, retrieve, and modify network devices in a standard, programmatic way.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.