Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR) v1.2AutomationEasy
A network engineer wants to automate the configuration of a new VLAN on multiple Cisco IOS XE switches using a programmatic interface. The engineer prefers to use HTTP/HTTPS for communication and wants to interact with the device's native configuration rather than a formal data model. Which API protocol is most suitable for this task?
- AgRPC
- BRESTCONF
- CNETCONF
- DSOAP
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. RESTCONF
RESTCONF is an HTTP-based protocol that provides a programmatic interface for accessing data defined in YANG models, including device configuration and state. It uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and supports both XML and JSON payloads, making it suitable for interacting with native configurations over HTTP/HTTPS.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. gRPC is a high-performance RPC framework, typically used with protocol buffers, not a primary choice for native configuration over HTTP/HTTPS with XML/JSON payloads.
- C. NETCONF is an XML-based protocol over SSH, not HTTP/HTTPS.
- D. SOAP is an older, XML-based messaging protocol, generally more complex and less common for modern network automation compared to RESTCONF.
RESTCONF Protocol
An HTTP-based protocol that provides a programmatic interface for accessing YANG-modeled data, including configuration and state, on network devices.
- Uses HTTP/HTTPS for communication.
- Adheres to REST principles (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
- Supports XML and JSON data formats.
- Interacts with data defined by YANG models (including native configuration).
Memory trick: RESTCONF is like a web browser for your network config, using familiar HTTP commands.