Cisco Certified Network Associate Automation (200-901 CCNAAUTO)
Cisco's automation associate exam — Python, REST APIs, Cisco platform SDKs, containers and CI/CD, model-driven programmability with YANG, NETCONF and RESTCONF. Renamed from DevNet Associate in February 2026.
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- Cisco — 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam page (cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/ccnaauto.html)
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Before anything else: this is the exam formerly called DevNet Associate. Cisco renamed it on 3 February 2026, kept the 200-901 code, and migrated existing certifications automatically.
That rename matters more than a rename normally would, because a large amount of the study material in circulation still uses the old name — and some of it targets the v1.0 topic list published in 2019 rather than the current v1.1. Download the official topic list and compare it against anything you are about to buy.
Where the marks are
Two domains carry 20% each: Understanding and Using APIs, and Infrastructure and Automation. The remaining four are 15% apiece. That is a flatter distribution than most exams, so there is no single block to concentrate on.
The exception worth knowing: YANG, NETCONF and RESTCONF appear in both of the 20% domains. Model-driven programmability is therefore worth considerably more of your score than its individual objectives suggest, and it is the material that separates people who script from people who automate.
What this exam is actually for
It is the only credible vendor certification aimed squarely at network automation, which is why it appears on this site at all — the network automation path had no certification behind it until now.
Be clear-eyed about the Cisco-specific portion. Fifteen per cent is explicitly Cisco platform APIs: Meraki, Catalyst Center, ACI, SD-WAN, NSO. That part of the credential does not travel to an employer running Juniper or Arista. The Python, Git, REST, container and NETCONF knowledge does, and it is the majority of the exam.
The block network engineers skip
Application Deployment and Security, at 15%. Reading a Dockerfile, describing a CI/CD pipeline, naming the common OWASP threats. None of it is deep. All of it is unfamiliar if your career has been spent on network gear, and it is a full sixth of the exam.
Software Development and Design is the mirror image for people arriving from programming: 15% that a developer finds trivial and a network engineer has to learn properly, including Git beyond commit and push.
Before you book
Use the sandbox. Cisco's DevNet Sandbox gives you free, reservable, live Cisco gear with real APIs. For the 15% platform domain there is no substitute, and it costs nothing.
Cisco does not publish a passing score. Scores are scaled and the cut score is deliberately withheld, so any specific number you find quoted is an estimate. Aim comfortably clear of one.
$300, valid three years. Unlike the CNCF exams, Cisco offers renewal through Continuing Education credits as well as by retaking an exam.
New to Linux and the command line?
This path assumes fundamentals you may not have yet. Our Foundations Pack is out and free — Linux, the shell and Git, with exercises that mark your work and explain why you got it wrong. We're writing an agents pack next; leave your email if you want to hear when it ships.
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Exam domains
Understanding and Using APIs
20%Infrastructure and Automation
20%Software Development and Design
15%Cisco Platforms and Development
15%Application Deployment and Security
15%Network Fundamentals
15%Preparation path
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Check which exam you are actually booking
DevNet Associate became CCNA Automation on 3 February 2026. The exam code 200-901 did not change, but a great deal of study material still uses the old name and some of it targets the v1.0 topics from 2019. Download the v1.1 topic list and compare before buying anything.
~2 hours - 2
Get Python and Git to the level the exam assumes
Fifteen per cent is software development and design, and it is assumed knowledge everywhere else. You need to read and write Python comfortably, structure a script into functions, and use Git properly — branches and pull requests, not just commit and push.
~25 hours - 3
Spend the most time on APIs and on model-driven programmability
These two domains are 20% each — together 40% of the exam, and the heaviest concentration on the blueprint. YANG, NETCONF and RESTCONF appear in both, so they are worth more than their individual objectives suggest. Read the RFCs rather than a summary.
~30 hours - 4
Work the Cisco platform APIs on real gear, not on slides
Cisco Platforms and Development is 15% and it is the domain that cannot be learned generically — Meraki, Catalyst Center, ACI, SD-WAN and NSO each have their own API shape. The free sandbox is the point: reserve one and make real calls against it.
~20 hours - 5
Close the containers and application security gap
Application Deployment and Security is 15% and is the block network engineers most often skip. You need to read a Dockerfile, describe a CI/CD pipeline, and name the common OWASP threats — none of it deep, all of it unfamiliar if you have only ever run network gear.
~12 hours
Frequently asked questions
Career Roadmaps
- Network Automation Engineer RoadmapA path from configuring switches by hand to running a network as code — Python, structured device APIs, Ansible, a source of truth, automated testing, and telemetry that closes the loop.
- DevOps Engineer RoadmapA structured path from Linux fundamentals through cloud infrastructure, automation, containers, and monitoring to a production-ready DevOps engineering career.