Which approach is appropriate for automating recurring Instana reporting and configuration tasks?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
There’s an API, so use it. Keep the token scoped and stored securely so your automation depends on a supported interface without handing out an exposed credential.
Full Explanation
The REST API with a scoped, securely stored token is appropriate because it’s the supported automation surface, scoping limits damage if the token leaks, and secure storage reduces the chance it does. Scripting a browser to read dashboards and extract values from the rendered page is wrong because scraping a rendered interface breaks whenever the layout changes and is unsupported. Giving the automation an interactive administrator session and driving the interface as a user would is wrong because interactive sessions are for people; automation should hold its own credential with limited scope. Using the REST API with a token embedded in the script and committed alongside it is wrong because it uses the right interface with the wrong credential handling—a committed token is exposed to everyone with repository access. For the exam, pair API automation with scoped, protected tokens.