Network automation skills have moved from "nice to have" to a baseline expectation for network engineers, and Cisco's certification track reflects that shift. In February 2026, Cisco renamed its entire DevNet certification line to Cisco Automation certifications — same exams, same content, but now folded into the familiar CCNA/CCNP/CCIE naming structure. If you're planning your first automation certification, this guide walks through the full path and prerequisites, compares the certification levels so you can pick the right target, points you to legitimate study resources for the exam, and lays out a study strategy specifically for engineers coming from a traditional networking background with little or no coding experience.

Understanding the Cisco Automation Certification Path

Cisco's automation track — formerly branded DevNet, now Cisco Automation — validates the ability to build software, use APIs, and automate infrastructure on top of Cisco platforms. It sits alongside Cisco's traditional CCNA/CCNP/CCIE tracks rather than replacing them, and the certifications you may have earned as "DevNet Associate," "DevNet Professional," or "DevNet Expert" were automatically migrated to their new names with no need to retake anything.

Here's how the path is structured, from entry point to expert level:

1. Start with CCNA Automation (formerly DevNet Associate), exam 200-901 DEVASC. This is the entry-level credential and has no formal prerequisites, though Cisco recommends around 12 months of hands-on software development experience, including basic Python. It's designed for engineers who are new to automation and covers software development fundamentals, working with APIs, application deployment, and infrastructure automation basics alongside core network fundamentals.
2. Build foundational skills before attempting the exam. Comfort with Python fundamentals (data types, loops, functions), a basic understanding of REST APIs and JSON, and familiarity with core networking concepts (which most traditional network engineers already have) will make the associate-level material far more approachable.
3. Progress to CCNP Automation (formerly DevNet Professional) once you have real automation experience under your belt. This professional-level certification goes deeper into software design, application security, infrastructure as code, and automating across multiple Cisco platforms, and it assumes working familiarity with the concepts validated at the associate level.
4. Aim for CCIE Automation (formerly DevNet Expert) at the top of the track, which requires passing a rigorous hands-on lab exam demonstrating the ability to design, build, secure, and troubleshoot automated solutions across complex, multi-platform environments.
5. Choose concentration exams where relevant, since the professional level allows some flexibility in which platform-focused topics you specialize in, similar to how CCNP tracks work on the networking side.

With the overall path in view, the next practical question is which specific level and certification actually deliver the most career value for where you are right now.

Comparing Cisco Automation Certification Levels

Not every engineer needs to climb all the way to expert level, and the right entry point depends on your current experience and career goals.

For most traditional network engineers, CCNA Automation is the right starting point — it's achievable without a software development background, directly complements existing CCNA/CCNP networking credentials, and gives you a credible signal to employers that you can operate in automated, API-driven environments. Once you've decided on a target certification, the next step is lining up the right study materials.

This blueprint-driven approach ensures your prep actually maps to what's tested, without the ethical and practical risks that come with dumps. For engineers without a software background, though, even an official blueprint can look intimidating at first glance — the final piece is a study strategy tailored to that starting point.

How to Study for Cisco Automation Certification With No Coding Background

Plenty of experienced network engineers pass CCNA Automation without ever having written production code before. The key is sequencing your learning so programming concepts build on networking knowledge you already have, rather than trying to learn software development and Cisco platforms simultaneously.

1. Learn Python fundamentals in isolation first, before touching any Cisco-specific material. Spend two to three weeks on core concepts — variables, loops, functions, and data structures like lists and dictionaries — using general beginner Python resources rather than jumping straight into automation-specific tutorials.
2. Anchor new concepts to networking scenarios you already understand. Instead of learning APIs abstractly, practice by pulling device data from a lab router or a Cisco sandbox — the networking context makes abstract programming concepts click faster for engineers with a CLI background.
3. Use Cisco's free sandbox labs for hands-on practice. Cisco provides free, pre-configured lab environments specifically for automation learners, which removes the burden of building your own lab just to practice API calls.
4. Study in short, consistent sessions rather than cramming. Because you're building an entirely new skill set (software concepts) on top of an existing one (networking), spaced daily practice retains far better than long weekend study blocks.
5. Join a study group or community focused on the certification. Automation concepts benefit enormously from seeing how other network engineers translate CLI-era thinking into code — community forums and study groups fill in the intuition that self-study alone often misses.
6. Take official practice exams only after finishing the full blueprint, and use them diagnostically — to find weak domains to revisit — rather than as your primary study method.

Following this sequence typically takes traditional network engineers three to four months of part-time study to go from no coding background to exam-ready, without ever needing a computer science degree.