Examius
🇺🇸 Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) · flashcards
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability Flashcards
50 question-and-answer cards covering Automation and Programmability as it is examined in Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Automation and Programmability deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What does JSON stand for and what is it used for?
JavaScript Object Notation — a lightweight, human-readable text format for exchanging structured data, widely used in REST APIs.
What are the two main structures used to organize data in JSON?
Objects, written as key/value pairs inside curly braces { }, and arrays, written as ordered lists inside square brackets [ ].
How is a key/value pair written in JSON?
As "key": value, where the key is a string in double quotes and the value can be a string, number, boolean, null, array, or object (e.g., "hostname": "R1").
What data types are supported in JSON values?
String, number, boolean (true/false), null, array, and object.
In JSON, how are strings denoted versus numbers and booleans?
Strings are enclosed in double quotes ("R1"); numbers (10), booleans (true/false), and null are written without quotes.
Given JSON {"interfaces": ["Gig0/1", "Gig0/2"]}, what does it represent?
A key 'interfaces' whose value is an array of two string elements: "Gig0/1" and "Gig0/2".
What does XML stand for and how does it structure data?
eXtensible Markup Language; it structures data using nested opening and closing tags, e.g., <hostname>R1</hostname>.
What does YAML stand for and what is it commonly used for?
YAML Ain't Markup Language; a human-readable data format that uses indentation, commonly used for configuration files and automation tools like Ansible.
How does YAML represent structure (instead of braces or tags)?
Through indentation (spaces, not tabs); key: value pairs and list items beginning with a hyphen and space (- item).
Compare JSON, XML, and YAML in terms of readability and syntax.
JSON uses braces/brackets and is compact and machine-friendly; XML uses verbose open/close tags; YAML uses indentation and is the most human-readable. All represent structured key/value data.
Which data format is most commonly associated with Ansible playbooks?
YAML.
In YAML, how is a list (sequence) written?
As lines each starting with a hyphen and a space, e.g.:\n- Gig0/1\n- Gig0/2
What character begins a comment in YAML?
The hash/pound symbol (#).
What are the three main configuration management tools compared in the CCNA?
Puppet, Chef, and Ansible.
What language/agent model does Ansible use?
Ansible is agentless, uses SSH to connect to devices, is written in Python, and uses YAML-based playbooks. It uses a push model.
What model (push or pull) and agent type does Puppet use?
Puppet typically uses a pull model with an agent installed on managed nodes (though agentless options exist), and uses a Ruby-based declarative DSL (manifests).
What model and language does Chef use?
Chef uses a pull model with an agent (chef-client) on nodes, configurations written in Ruby (recipes and cookbooks).
Which of Puppet, Chef, and Ansible is agentless, and why does that matter?
Ansible is agentless — it needs no software pre-installed on managed devices (uses SSH), making it simpler to deploy on network gear.
What term describes Ansible's unit of automation, and what format is it?
A 'playbook,' written in YAML, which contains plays and tasks describing the desired configuration.
What are Puppet's and Chef's configuration files called, respectively?
Puppet uses 'manifests' (and modules); Chef uses 'recipes' (grouped into cookbooks).
Which configuration management tools use a master/agent pull model by default?
Puppet and Chef (agents pull configuration from a master/server); Ansible instead pushes over SSH and is agentless.
What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?
The practice of managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable definition files (code) rather than manual processes, enabling versioning, repeatability, and automation.
What are the main benefits of Infrastructure as Code?
Consistency/repeatability, version control of configurations, faster and automated deployments, reduced human error, and easy rollback and scalability.
How does Infrastructure as Code relate to tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef?
These configuration management tools implement IaC by defining device/server configuration in code (YAML playbooks, manifests, recipes) that is stored, versioned, and applied automatically.
What this deck covers
The Automation and Programmability deck follows the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability syllabus — 4 chapters and 12 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 12.5 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 114 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Automation and Programmability flashcards FAQ
How many Automation and Programmability flashcards are in this Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) deck?
50 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 50-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Automation and Programmability cards cover?
They follow the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability syllabus — 4 chapters and 12 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.