Introduction
When you have finished your CCNA DevNet training, you become a suitable candidate to apply for network automation job roles. Suppose you are preparing for Network Automation engineer interviews. In that case, you should know that in addition to the standard interview questions, you will get to face technical questions evaluating your skills, knowledge related to the subject and tools that you have expertise in. So, these are some of the few CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers that will help you prepare for the technical part of your interview.
The key to succeeding in the job interview process is preparation. However, it might be challenging to plan when you don’t know what kinds of questions to expect. Here is a guide to help you get ready for some typical interview questions you might get.
Our trainers and placement officers, who are among the brightest minds in the DevNet track and have already assisted thousands of network automation engineers in getting trained and placed, have curated these questions to help you prepare best for your interviews.
Now, learn DevNet and network automation with one of the Top 25 DevNet Experts in the world and the youngest one to clear the exam - Mr. Abhijit Bakale (CTO and Co-Founder - PyNet Labs)
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About CCNA DevNet
CCNA DevNet, short for Cisco Certified Network Associate DevNet, is a certification program offered by Cisco Systems that focuses on network automation and programmability. It is designed for professionals who want to enhance their skills in software development, automation, and networking technologies.
CCNA DevNet provides a comprehensive understanding of software development and networking concepts, allowing individuals to build and manage applications and infrastructure in modern networked environments. This certification covers a wide range of topics, including programming fundamentals, APIs, software-defined networking (SDN), network automation, and security.
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Basic CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers
So, let’s take a look at the questions you can expect to hear from any interviewer. Make sure your knowledge is thorough for these questions to impress the interviewers. Here are the top basic CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers:
Q1. What is BASH, and what is it used for?
BASH stands for Bourne Again Shell. It is a free and improved version of the Bourne Shell included with the Linux and GNU operating systems. It is identical to the original version; it has some additional features like Command-line editing.
BASH is commonly used for scripting, automation, task execution, and managing system-level operations. In networking, it is often used to automate CLI tasks, interact with APIs, and run automation scripts.
Q2. What is the range() function in Python?
The range() function in Python allows to set a range that is up to but not including the number specified. If you want to increment to 10, you need to provide the number 11. Based on the sign of the number provided, the range() function can also count up or down.
Q3. What are the key components of object-oriented programming in Python?
The key components of object-oriented programming in Python are functions that can be performed on a data structure and attributes that are stored in an object.
Q4. Describe Inheritance.
By using inheritance, you can specify a base class and create a new class with the preceding one as a base parent. The following class contains all the parent class’s capabilities and can add or override any attribute or method that needs to be different.
Q5. What syntax should be used to open a text file to be written to?
In order to open a file for writing, you need to use the open() function and assign it to a file handler variable—in this case, data. In addition, you need to pass the name of the file and tell Python that you want to allow write access to it (using “w”).
Q6. Which methods are used for converting a native JSON file to Python and then back to JSON?
To load a native JSON file into a Python string object, loads() is used, which stands for load string. To convert a Python string into native JSON, dump() is used.
Q7. What are the features of a good SDK, and what are the advantages of using SDK?
The features of a good SDK are as follows:
- It is easy to use
- Well-documented
- Integrates well with other SDKs
- Minimal impact on hardware resources
- Provides Value-added functionality
Some of the advantages of using an SDK are quicker integration, faster and more efficient development, brand control, increased security, and the availability of metrics.
Q8. What is the output of the multivendor SDK for the Cisco DNA Center platform?
Cisco DNA Center allows customers to have their non-Cisco devices managed by DNA Center through a multivendor SDK. Device packages are how the third-party devices and Cisco DNA Center communicate. The multivendor SDK is used to create the device packages, which implement southbound interfaces based on the CLI, SNMP, or NETCONF.
Q9. What is the name of the Cisco UCS Manager Python SDK library?
The Cisco UCS Python module for UCS Manager is called ucsmsdk. It can be installed using pip by issuing the following command at the command prompt:
pip install ucsmsdk
Q10. How are the managed objects organized in Cisco Intersight?
The Intersight API is a programmatic interface to the Management Information Model similar to Cisco ACI and Cisco UCS Manager. Just like Cisco ACI and Cisco UCS Manager, the Cisco Intersight Management Information Model is comprised of managed objects.
A keyId and a keySecret make up an Intersight API key. Each HTTP request delivered to the Intersight web service is cryptographically signed by the API client using the API key.
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These are the top most asked basic CCNA DevNet Interview Questions. Let’s move on to some advanced CCNA DevNet Interview Questions.
Advanced CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers
Q11. What are the approaches to infrastructure as code?
There are usually two types of approaches to infrastructure as code: declarative and imperative. The declarative approach defines the system’s desired state, and then the system goes through all the necessary motions to achieve that state.
According to the imperative method, a specific sequence of orders must be carried out in order for the system to reach the target state.
Q12. What Cisco NSO component manages the YANG data models that get sent to a device?
The NSO Device Manager manages network devices using YANG data models and NETCONF. For devices that natively implement NETCONF and YANG models, the device manager is automatic, and devices that do not support NETCONF are integrated in the platform by using Network Element Drivers (NEDs).
Q13. What are some of the benefits of using DHCP?
Some of the benefits of using DHCP instead of manual configurations are:
- Centralized management of network parameters configuration
- Reduced network endpoint configuration tasks
- Reduced costs
Q14. What transport layer protocol and port are used by NTP?
The main role of NTP is to synchronize the time on a network of devices. NTP was created by the IETF, and RFC 5905 contains the definition of the protocol’s fourth version. At the transport layer, User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is used, and port 123 is set aside for NTP.
Q15. What popular network utility is used to troubleshoot DNS issues?
If DNS is malfunctioning for some reason, end-to-end connectivity is impacted. Troubleshooting DNS functionality can be done with the use of network tools like nslookup.
Q16. How do you securely handle credentials, API tokens, and secrets in automation projects?
Best practice is to avoid hardcoding secrets in scripts or committing them to Git. Common secure approaches include:
- Using environment variables for tokens/credentials at runtime
- Using a secrets manager or vault solution (and short-lived tokens when possible)
- Encrypting sensitive variables in automation tools (for example, using an “encrypted variables” feature)
- Applying least-privilege access (scoped API tokens and RBAC)
- Rotating credentials regularly and logging access securely (without printing secrets in logs)
Q17. What is Idempotency? And why is it so important in the field of network automation?
Idempotency is the ability to execute the same automation task repeatedly without changing the final condition (no unwanted adverse consequences). It is essential when it comes to network automation, as jobs are able to be repeated in the event of partial failures, timeouts, or pipeline repeats. The tools and workflows that enforce Idempotency (for instance, “configure this interface description to X” instead of “append an X”) reduce configuration changes, prevent interruptions, and make automation safer and more reliable.
Q18. What is the difference between NETCONF and RESTCONF, and how does YANG relate to them?
NETCONF is an RPC-based protocol used to install, modify, and delete device configuration, generally over SSH, and closely align with model-driven configuration. RESTCONF exposes similar model-driven capabilities using REST principles over HTTP(S).
YANG is the data modeling language which defines the structures of operational and configuration data. The two protocols NETCONF and RESTCONF typically employ YANG model to make sure that that the data you transmit or receive follows a defined schema (which increases consistency, validation as well as the reliability of automation).
Q19. What is model-driven telemetry (MDT), and how is it used in modern network automation?
Model-driven telemetry provides a structured method for streaming operational data from network devices using defined models (often based on YANG), rather than relying on periodic polling (as in conventional SNMP polling). With MDT, you can subscribe to events and metrics and receive updates constantly (or at specific intervals), which increases visibility and speeds the detection of problems. MDT is commonly used for near-real-time monitoring, closed-loop automation (detects and decides, then rectifies), and feeding observability platforms with consistent, structured network state data.
Q20. What are common HTTP response codes you will see when working with REST APIs, and what do they mean?
Common REST API HTTP status codes include:
- 200 OK: Request succeeded; response usually contains data (e.g., GET success).
- 201 Created: Resource created successfully (often after POST).
- 202 Accepted: Request accepted for processing, but not completed yet (async operations).
- 204 No Content: Success but no response body (often after DELETE/PUT).
- 400 Bad Request: Invalid input (malformed JSON, missing/invalid fields).
- 401 Unauthorized: Missing/invalid authentication (token/credentials).
- 403 Forbidden: Authenticated, but not allowed (RBAC/permissions issue).
- 404 Not Found: Resource/endpoint doesn’t exist (wrong URL or ID).
- 409 Conflict: Conflict with current state (duplicate object, version mismatch).
- 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limited; you should back off/retry.
- 500 Internal Server Error / 503 Service Unavailable: Server-side issue; retry with backoff and check controller health.
Advanced DevNet roles demand real automation skills, not just interview answers. Learn directly from Cisco DevNet Experts with proven placement success.
These are the top 20 most asked CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers. If you are looking for more CCNA DevNet interview Questions, you can download the same below.
CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers PDF
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Conclusion
In this blog, we have discussed the top CCNA DevNet Interview Questions and Answers that are every interviewers favourite. PyNet Labs is the best CCNA DevNet training Institute in India, Canada, Australia, and the USA. We have introduced a customized course to help all the budding network engineers learn Python skills from basics and become network automation experts. For more information, you can go to the CCNA DevNet Training page.
We wish you all the very best for your interview. With the proper preparation, the right knowledge, and the right skill set, you’ll be prepared to ace your interview and be on your way to a fantastic new job. We hope you liked these interview questions and answers. You can subscribe to our free newsletter to stay updated with our new blogs/articles. Please share your valuable feedback in the comment box.
