If you searched for DevNet Associate and landed on a page called CCNA Automation, nothing has gone wrong with your browser. Cisco retired the DevNet brand and folded the entire track into its Automation certifications, and existing DevNet Associate holders were migrated across on 3 February 2026. The credential you were studying for still exists. It has a different name, a different exam code, and a different place in the Cisco hierarchy.
The confusion is understandable, because the exam number did not change. DevNet Associate was 200-901 DEVASC. CCNA Automation is 200-901 CCNAAUTO. Same number, new code, new certification name.
This post covers what CCNA Automation actually tests, what it costs, what happened to your existing DevNet certification, and the question the search results keep failing to answer clearly: whether CCNA Automation is the same thing as the CCNA.
What Happened to Cisco DevNet
Cisco launched DevNet certifications in 2020 as a separate track for network developers, sitting alongside the traditional CCNA, CCNP and CCIE ladders. Six years on, automation stopped being a specialism and became part of the job, so Cisco stopped treating it as a side track.
The three DevNet levels mapped straight onto the equivalent Cisco tiers:
| Old DevNet certification | New name | Exam code |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco Certified DevNet Associate | CCNA Automation | 200-901 CCNAAUTO |
| Cisco Certified DevNet Professional | CCNP Automation | 350-901 AUTOCOR core |
| Cisco Certified DevNet Expert | CCIE Automation | 350-901 AUTOCOR qualifying, then the lab |
Anyone holding an active DevNet Associate was recognised as CCNA Automation certified automatically. You do not resit anything, you do not pay anything, and your certification date is unchanged. The same applies at professional and expert level.
Exam Tip: If your Cisco transcript still shows DevNet, check the certification date rather than the name. Credentials earned before the migration display under the new naming once the record refreshes, and employers verifying through Cisco's tracking system see the current name.
The core exam changed identity too. The old DEVCOR blueprint was replaced by 350-901 AUTOCOR, now titled Designing, Deploying and Managing Network Automation Systems, running to 120 minutes. That exam is the core for CCNP Automation and the qualifying exam for CCIE Automation, which our CCIE exam changes breakdown covers alongside the new AI lab module.
CCNA Automation Exam Format and Cost
The exam itself is unchanged in shape from DEVASC. Cisco publishes the following on the 200-901 exam page:
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Cost: $300 USD, or payable with Cisco Learning Credits
- Prerequisites: none
- Language: English
- Grading: pass/fail, with results available online within 48 hours
- Validity: three years, renewable through Continuing Education credits or by retaking an exam
Cisco does not publish a question count or a numeric pass mark for 200-901. That is normal for Cisco associate exams and not a gap in your research. Treat the blueprint weightings as your guide to effort, not a question tally.
The Six 200-901 CCNAAUTO Domains
The current blueprint is v1.1 of Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms. Six domains, and two of them carry a fifth of the exam each:
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1.0 Software Development and Design | 15% |
| 2.0 Understanding and Using APIs | 20% |
| 3.0 Cisco Platforms and Development | 15% |
| 4.0 Application Deployment and Security | 15% |
| 5.0 Infrastructure and Automation | 20% |
| 6.0 Network Fundamentals | 15% |
Where candidates lose marks
APIs and Infrastructure and Automation are 40% of the exam between them, and both are heavily construction-based rather than recall-based. Domain 2 asks you to construct a REST API request from documentation, interpret HTTP response codes, and write a Python script that calls an API using the requests library. Domain 5 asks you to interpret an Ansible playbook, read a unified diff, interpret basic YANG models, and read the results of a RESTCONF or NETCONF query.
Reading about those skills does not build them. Working through them in a terminal does.
Domain 3 is the one people underestimate, because it is the Cisco-specific content: the capabilities and APIs of Meraki, Cisco Catalyst Center, ACI, Catalyst SD-WAN, NSO, Webex, XDR, Firepower, Secure Endpoint and ISE. There is no way to reason your way to those answers from general programming knowledge. It is product knowledge and it needs deliberate revision.
Domain 6 is genuine networking: MAC addresses and VLANs, subnetting, the function of the management, data and control planes, DHCP, DNS, NAT, SNMP, NTP, and common protocol port values. Developers coming to this exam from a software background usually find Domain 6 harder than Domain 1, which is exactly the reverse of what they expect.
CCNA Automation vs CCNA: Not the Same Certification
This is the question the search results handle worst, so here is the direct answer. CCNA Automation and CCNA are two separate associate-level certifications, earned by two separate exams, with almost no content overlap.
| CCNA Automation | CCNA | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | 200-901 CCNAAUTO | 200-301 CCNA |
| Focus | APIs, Python, Cisco platform automation | Routing, switching, IP connectivity, security fundamentals |
| Duration | 120 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Cost | $300 USD | $400 USD |
| Prerequisites | None | None |
| Validity | 3 years | 3 years |
| Automation content | The entire exam | 10% of the exam (Automation and Programmability) |
The CCNA's own Automation and Programmability domain is 10% of the 200-301 blueprint. CCNA Automation is what that 10% expands into when it becomes a job rather than a bullet point. The two certifications are complementary, not alternatives, and neither is a prerequisite for the other.
Which to sit first depends on where you are starting:
- Network background, no coding: take the CCNA first. Domain 6 of 200-901 will feel easy, and you will have the context that makes controller-level management make sense. Our CCNA 200-301 study plan covers that route.
- Software background, no networking: take CCNA Automation first. Domains 1, 2 and 4 are largely skills you already have, and Domain 6 gives you the networking grounding at the depth a developer actually needs.
- Neither: take the CCNA first, then decide. Automation roles that pay well assume you understand what you are automating.
One timing point worth knowing. The CCNA 200-301 blueprint moves to v2.0 on 3 February 2027, and that revision leans further into automation and troubleshooting. If you are planning both certifications across 2026 and 2027, sequence them deliberately rather than by accident, which is what our CCNA v2.0 changes post exists to help with.
Is CCNA Automation Worth Taking in 2026
The rename removed the main objection people had to DevNet, which was that hiring managers did not recognise the brand. A line reading CCNA Automation on a CV parses instantly for anyone who has ever hired a network engineer. That is a real gain and it cost holders nothing.
The credential suits three groups:
- Network engineers whose employer is deploying Catalyst Center, Meraki or NSO. The Domain 3 and Domain 5 content is directly the work.
- NetDevOps candidates who need a recognised credential to sit alongside a Git history nobody at the screening stage will read.
- Anyone heading for CCNP Automation or CCIE Automation, where 350-901 AUTOCOR is now the single core exam for both tracks.
It suits you less well if you are trying to get a first job in networking. For that, the traditional CCNA still carries more recruiter recognition per pound spent, and Network+ against CCNA is the more useful comparison to read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CCNA Automation?
CCNA Automation is Cisco's associate-level network automation certification, earned by passing the 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam. It validates software development and design, use of REST APIs, Cisco platform APIs, application deployment and security, infrastructure automation and network fundamentals. It replaced the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate certification when Cisco retired the DevNet brand.
How much does the CCNA Automation exam cost?
The 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam costs $300 USD, and Cisco also accepts Cisco Learning Credits. That is $100 less than the CCNA 200-301 exam, which is $400 USD. Neither price includes training, and prices vary by country and local tax.
What is the difference between CCNA Automation and CCNA?
They are separate certifications with separate exams. CCNA (200-301) covers routing, switching, IP connectivity, IP services and security fundamentals, with automation as a 10% domain. CCNA Automation (200-901) is entirely about APIs, Python, Cisco platform automation and infrastructure as code. Neither is required to sit the other.
Is my DevNet Associate certification still valid?
Yes. Cisco migrated active DevNet Associate holders to CCNA Automation on 3 February 2026 with no exam, no fee and no change to your certification or expiry date. The same migration applied to DevNet Professional, which became CCNP Automation, and DevNet Expert, which became CCIE Automation.
Is CCNA still worth it in 2026?
The CCNA remains Cisco's most widely recognised credential and still appears in job adverts by name more than any other Cisco certification. The 200-301 blueprint changes to v2.0 on 3 February 2027, so candidates studying now should decide whether to sit the current version or prepare for the new one.
Ready to Start Practising?
Knowing the six 200-901 domains is not the same as being able to construct a REST API call under exam pressure. The gap between reading a blueprint and passing an exam is closed by working through questions until the wrong answers stop being tempting.
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