After this course you can talk to network devices through APIs instead of typing every change by hand. You read and change Python scripts, use RESTCONF and NETCONF, understand YANG models and roll out configurations with Ansible and Jinja2. It suits you if you look after networks, know the basics of routing and switching and have written a little Python. Over two days, the focus stays on the tools you will need first at work.
What you’ll take away.
- Read and adapt Python scripts for network tasks and find errors in them
- Use network device HTTP APIs with Postman and Python Requests
- Tell XML, JSON and YAML apart and read YANG models
- Compare RESTCONF and NETCONF and choose the right one
- Roll out device configurations with Ansible playbooks and Jinja2 templates
Your training in detail
- Who is it for?
- Network engineers and administrators, NOC teams, and DevOps and SRE engineers who want to automate network tasks.
- Prerequisites
- Cisco sets no formal prerequisites. It recommends knowledge of routing and switching including OSPF and BGP, Python fundamentals, and being comfortable with Linux commands and a text editor.
- Format & planning
- Standard length: 2 training days. A different length can be arranged for companies.
Agenda: from understanding to application
Our independently developed agenda proposal. Focus areas, lab environment and scope are agreed before booking.
Why automate: network operations, NetDevOps and Git
Python for network tasks and reproducible development environments
HTTP APIs, data formats and Python Requests
YANG models and the tools around them
Working with RESTCONF and NETCONF from Python
Ansible and Jinja2 for a desired-state configuration
You read a lab device's interface status over RESTCONF, then apply a change as an Ansible playbook with a Jinja2 template.
Exams, licences & credentials
Cisco's course page does not link this course to an exam of its own, so no certificate comes with it. The content gives you a base for further Cisco automation topics. This is not an official Cisco course.
Vendor references & review date
Sources checked on 2026-11-04. These sources describe the technology or external exam requirements. They do not imply a partnership with NextNowa.
Your learning content
These objectives describe the training topic. The specific syllabus, dates and trainer are agreed before booking; the written offer is binding.
Frequently asked questions
Does the course lead to a Cisco exam?
No, Cisco lists no associated exam on the course page. It serves as a way into automation.
How much Python do I need?
Cisco recommends fundamentals such as loops, conditionals and classes, or roughly three to six months of scripting experience.
Does Cisco CSAU (Introducing Automation for Cisco Solutions): getting started with network automation include a certificate?
Cisco's course page does not link this course to an exam of its own, so no certificate comes with it. The content gives you a base for further Cisco automation topics. This is not an official Cisco course.