The Cisco 200-901 exam is officially named Developing Applications and Automating Workflows using Cisco Platforms. It is created for professionals with skills spanning software development to network engineering. As you may be aware, the IT field requires individuals with the latest skillset, and the Cisco 200-901 test will help you achieve much more than just validate your technical knowledge. It is also the exam of choice to qualify for Cisco’s DevNet Associate certification.

About the Cisco DevNet Associate Certification

Candidates who pass the Cisco 200-901 exam don’t need to sit for another assessment to get accredited. It is the single requirement for attaining the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate certificate. This designation falls under the intermediate level of Cisco’s accreditation path, with the other two options being CCNA and Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate. In general, the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate certificate proves that the holder has mastered the essentials of developing, maintaining, and designing applications that run on Cisco platforms.

Cisco 200-901 Exam Details

The Cisco 200-901 exam integrates software development skills into networking to turn IT professionals into all-round technology nerds who have aptly mastered their stuff in this niche. To do so, it focuses on testing one’s knowledge of software development and design, Cisco platforms and their development, development of applications and security, as well as infrastructure and automation.

In a nutshell, this is a 120-minute-long test that will likely cost you about $300. You can attempt the exam in English or Japanese. While many candidates prefer to sit for the online version of this exam from the comfort of their homes, Cisco allows for physical testing from authorized centers as well. Ultimately, the choice of the delivery method will depend on what suits you best. Of course, the choice option doesn’t influence the standard pricing even though taking the exam from a physical location may come with additional costs by way of logistics.

Exam Domains

In this section, pay attention to the details of the 6 key domains addressed by the Cisco 200-901 exam:

• Software development and design

  Under this domain, the candidates are assessed on their knowledge of comparing data formats, describing the parsing of commonly used formats of data to Python data structures, describing what test-driven development entails, and comparing different methods for developing software. Also, they should be able to explain the benefits of organizing code into classes, modules, and functions, identify the pros of using different design patterns, explain the benefits of version control, and utilize common operations for version control using Git.

• Understanding and using APIs

  The topic of Understanding and Using APIs focuses on constructing REST API requests, describing the basic usage patterns found in webhooks, identifying the limitations associated with API consumption, and explaining the popular HTTP response codes related to REST APIs. What’s more, this knowledge area addresses the concepts of troubleshooting problems when you have the API documentation and HTTP response code, identifying different components of an HTTP response, and utilizing common mechanisms of API authentication. Finally, it will check the basic understanding of popular API styles and the construction of a Python script that works with a REST API.

• Cisco platforms and development

  Here, the focus will be on the construction of a Python Script that can utilize a Cisco SDK when you have the relevant documentation. Also, learn more about the capabilities associated with platforms for managing Cisco networks as well as those for managing Cisco compute. Also, this domain will address the technical tasks related to dynamic interfaces and device-level APIs and the capabilities of Cisco security and collaboration APIs and platforms. Finally, it will emphasize the knowledge of applying the programmability and model-driven concepts to a Cisco environment, constructing codes to accomplish specific tasks, and identifying the right DevNet resource for a specific scenario.

• Application deployment and security

  From the name, this domain covers the skills of deploying applications and security concepts. It measures the knowledge of the advantages of edge computing as well as skills in identifying the features of specific app deployment models and types such as containers, bare metal, and virtual machines. Also, this domain is designed to focus on a description of CI/CD pipeline components, construction of a Python unit test, interpretation of Dockerfile contents, and utilization of Docker images in developer environments. In conclusion, this knowledge area will emphasize the skills related to identifying issues with app security, explaining the role of the firewall, load balancers, reverse proxy, and DNS when deploying applications, describing the major threats in OWASP, identifying the key principles related to DevOps practices, and utilizing Bash commands.

• Infrastructure and automation

  Next up, the candidates are evaluated on their knowledge of describing the significance of model-centred programmability, comparing controller-level and device-level management, and describing the function of network testing and simulation tools such as pyATS and VIRL. Also, this domain is centered on the key elements and benefits of CI/CD pipeline when automating infrastructure, describing the main principles of infrastructure, describing the abilities of specific automation tools including Cisco NSO, Chef, and Puppet. This knowledge area will help you wrap up your certification exam prep by covering the concepts of workflow, and interpreting YANG models, a unified diff, and sequence diagram.

• Network fundamentals

  Here, the learners will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the role of VLANs, MAC addresses, gateways, routers, IP addresses, subnet mask, and basic components of networking such as firewalls, load balancers, and switches. Also, it will confirm if the candidate is adept at describing the role of control, data and management planes, the functionality of specific IP Services such as NAT, SNMP, DNS, and NTP, recognizing the commonly used protocol port values, and explaining the effects of network limitations on apps. Also tested is the learner’s proficiency in identifying the possible causes of problems with application connectivity and interpreting a basic diagram illustrating network topology.

Career Opportunities

With the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate certificate in your resume, you will unlock the following job roles:

• Network Automation Engineer
• Application Developer
• Automation Specialist

As per the information from the PayScale website, individuals working in these positions get an average annual salary of $81k, $70k, and $68k, respectively.

Certification Path

After getting the mid-level Cisco Certified DevNet Associate certification, you should shift your focus to the next accreditation programs on this path. And this means pursuing the Cisco Certified DevNet Professional certificate. To acquire it, be ready to pass two exams, the core one coded 350-901 and one concentration exam selected from the options set by the vendor.