📘Cisco DevNet Associate (200-901 DEVASC)

This topic is part of the Collaboration APIs and Platforms section of the DEVASC exam. You must understand:

What each Cisco collaboration platform does
What APIs are available
What those APIs are used for
How developers integrate with these platforms
The difference between cloud and on-premises collaboration

This guide explains everything in simple and clear English so both IT and non-IT learners can understand.

1. Cisco Webex Platform

What is Webex?

Cisco Webex is Cisco’s cloud-based collaboration platform. It provides:

Messaging (chat)
Meetings (video conferencing)
Calling
File sharing
Team collaboration spaces

It is hosted in the cloud, so organizations do not need to manage servers locally.

Webex for Developers

Webex provides REST APIs and Webhooks that allow developers to build applications that integrate with Webex.

Developers can:

Send messages
Read messages
Create meeting rooms (spaces)
Add or remove users
Schedule meetings
Control devices
Receive event notifications

Webex REST API Capabilities

Webex APIs use:

HTTPS
REST architecture
JSON format
OAuth 2.0 authentication
Access tokens

Main API Categories

1️⃣ Messages API

Send a message to a space
Retrieve messages
Delete messages

Used in IT environments for:

Monitoring alerts sent to chat rooms
Automation bots posting system notifications

2️⃣ Rooms (Spaces) API

Create collaboration spaces
Add members
Manage space settings

Used for:

Automatically creating project spaces
Onboarding automation

3️⃣ Meetings API

Schedule meetings
Retrieve meeting details
Update or cancel meetings

Used for:

Automated meeting scheduling systems
Integration with ticketing systems

4️⃣ Webhooks

Webhooks allow Webex to send real-time event notifications to your application.

Example events:

New message posted
User joined space
Meeting started

Instead of continuously polling the API, Webex pushes events to your application.

This is important for the exam:

Webhooks = Event-driven architecture.

Webex Authentication

Webex uses:

OAuth 2.0
Bearer tokens

Developers must:

Register an application
Obtain client ID and secret
Request an access token
Use token in API calls

2. Webex Devices

What Are Webex Devices?

Webex Devices are hardware collaboration endpoints such as:

Room devices
Desk devices
Board devices
Video conferencing systems

They run Cisco collaboration software and connect to Webex cloud or on-prem systems.

Device API Capabilities

Webex devices expose APIs for:

Call control
Device configuration
Status monitoring
User interface customization
Audio/video settings

These APIs allow remote automation and monitoring.

Webex Device APIs (xAPI)

Webex devices use xAPI.

Capabilities include:

1️⃣ Monitoring

Get device status (camera, mic, call state)
Monitor active calls
Detect presentation mode

2️⃣ Control

Start/stop calls
Adjust volume
Mute/unmute microphone
Change layouts

3️⃣ Configuration

Change network settings
Set device name
Modify SIP settings
Configure UI branding

How Device APIs Are Used in IT

In enterprise IT environments:

Monitoring room device health
Automatically muting microphones after business hours
Collecting device analytics
Integrating room systems with building management systems

3. Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM)

What is CUCM?

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) is Cisco’s on-premises call control system.

It provides:

IP phone management
Call routing
Voicemail integration
SIP trunk management
Enterprise telephony services

Unlike Webex (cloud-based), CUCM is typically deployed in data centers.

CUCM APIs

CUCM provides several interfaces for developers:

AXL API
UDS API

You must understand the difference between them for the exam.

4. AXL API (Administrative XML Layer)

AXL is a SOAP-based API.

It allows administrators and developers to:

Add users
Create phones
Configure devices
Modify dial plans
Manage route patterns
Update directory numbers

AXL is mainly used for:

Bulk provisioning
Automation of phone configuration
Integrating CUCM with HR systems
Automated onboarding of employees

Important Exam Points About AXL

Uses SOAP (not REST)
Uses XML
Requires authentication
Administrative control
High privilege access
Used for configuration management

If you see a question asking:

“Which API is used to provision phones in CUCM?”

Answer: AXL

5. UDS (User Data Services)

UDS is a REST-based API in CUCM.

It is mainly used by applications and endpoints to retrieve user information.

UDS Capabilities

Get user details
Get device information
Service discovery
Retrieve contact information
Authentication support

UDS is commonly used by:

Jabber clients
Softphones
End-user applications

AXL vs UDS Comparison

Feature	AXL	UDS
Protocol	SOAP	REST
Data Format	XML	XML/JSON
Purpose	Admin configuration	User data retrieval
Used For	Provisioning	Service discovery
Access Level	High (admin)	Limited (user-based)

For the exam:

AXL = Configuration
UDS = User/service discovery

6. Cloud vs On-Prem Collaboration

Webex

Cloud-based
REST APIs
OAuth
Webhooks supported

CUCM

On-premises
SOAP (AXL)
REST (UDS)
Requires enterprise deployment

You should understand deployment differences.

7. Common Exam Scenarios

You may see questions like:

Which API would you use to automate phone provisioning? → AXL
Which Webex feature sends real-time event notifications? → Webhooks
Which CUCM interface uses SOAP? → AXL
Which API allows retrieving user data from CUCM? → UDS
Which platform is cloud-based? → Webex

8. Security Considerations

For DEVASC exam, understand:

OAuth 2.0 for Webex
HTTPS for secure API communication
Access tokens
Admin privileges for AXL
Role-based access control

9. How These Platforms Integrate in IT Environments

In enterprise IT systems:

HR systems automatically create collaboration accounts
Monitoring systems send alerts to Webex spaces
CUCM provisioning scripts configure IP phones
Video devices are monitored centrally
Bots respond to Webex messages
Meeting data integrates with reporting tools

These integrations are done using the APIs discussed above.

10. Key Differences Summary

Platform	Deployment	API Type	Purpose
Webex	Cloud	REST	Messaging, meetings, bots
Webex Devices	Hardware	xAPI	Device control & monitoring
CUCM	On-prem	AXL (SOAP)	Admin provisioning
CUCM	On-prem	UDS (REST)	User data access

Final Exam Tips

To pass this section of the DEVASC exam, you must:

✔ Understand cloud vs on-prem differences
✔ Know Webex uses REST and OAuth
✔ Know Webex supports Webhooks
✔ Know AXL uses SOAP and XML
✔ Know UDS uses REST
✔ Understand which API is used for provisioning vs user data
✔ Understand device control capabilities
✔ Recognize API types in scenario-based questions