Chapter 5 of 6 · Cisco CCNA 200-301
Automation and Programmability
Automation, controllers, SDN, AI, REST APIs, Ansible, Terraform and JSON.
- 7topics
- 37 minfast track
- 10%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1How Automation Changes Network ManagementLearn how network automation changes day-to-day management, covering consistency, speed, fewer errors, configuration drift…5 min
- 2Traditional Networks vs Controller-Based NetworkingCompare traditional device-by-device networks with controller-based networking, including the three planes and the benefits of…5 min
- 3Software-Defined Architecture: Overlay, Underlay and FabricUnderstand software-defined networking: control and data plane separation, north-bound and south-bound APIs, and the underlay…6 min
- 4AI and Machine Learning in Network OperationsLearn how generative and predictive AI and machine learning are used in network operations, with examples, limits and the…5 min
- 5Characteristics of REST-Based APIsLearn how REST APIs work, including HTTP verbs and CRUD, status codes, authentication types such as basic, token and OAuth, and…6 min
- 6Configuration Management with Ansible and TerraformLearn what Ansible and Terraform do, how playbooks and plans work, how they differ, and where each fits in network and…5 min
- 7Interpreting JSON Encoded DataLearn to read JSON: objects, arrays, key-value pairs and data types, how to find a value in nested data, and the syntax rules…5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
This chapter looks at how modern networks are managed by software instead of by typing commands on one device at a time.
It covers why automation matters, how controller-based and software-defined networks differ from traditional ones, and how AI is starting to be used in operations. It also covers the technologies that make programmability possible: REST APIs, configuration tools and structured data.
The chapter follows domain 6.0 of the Cisco CCNA 200-301 version 1.1 exam topics. It has seven published objectives, and each gets its own page.
Weight in the exam
Domain 6.0 carries about 10 percent of the published exam objectives, which makes it one of the smaller domains.
The objectives ask you to explain, describe, recognise and interpret, rather than to configure devices. Careful reading of terms pays off.
Learn the vocabulary first, then practise reading JSON until the structure feels natural.
How the topics fit together
The pages move from the big picture to the practical details.
Automation and network management explains why doing things by software helps: speed, consistency and fewer mistakes. Traditional versus controller-based networking shows how the idea changes the way a network is built, by moving policy and management into a controller.
Software-defined architecture goes a layer deeper. It explains the split between the control plane and data plane, the north-bound and south-bound APIs around a controller, and the underlay, overlay and fabric. AI and machine learning show how predictive and generative techniques are being added to network operations, with their benefits and limits.
The last three pages are the practical tools.
REST APIs are how software talks to a controller or a device. Ansible and Terraform are tools that apply a desired configuration to many systems. JSON is the data format that most of these tools exchange.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape: what the topic is, how it works, what to remember, common mistakes and prompts to test yourself.
The data topics, REST and JSON, are best learned by reading many small examples until the structure feels natural.
Ready for more practice?
The full Cisco CCNA 200-301 question bank has 1,206 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cisco. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.