diff --git a/packages/grafana-data/src/types/datasource.ts b/packages/grafana-data/src/types/datasource.ts
index d4970c3d750..eea3a841a70 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-data/src/types/datasource.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-data/src/types/datasource.ts
@@ -647,6 +647,7 @@ export interface DataSourceSettings<T extends DataSourceJsonData = DataSourceJso
   readOnly: boolean;
   withCredentials: boolean;
   version?: number;
+  apiVersion?: string;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/public/app/features/apiserver/client.test.ts b/public/app/features/apiserver/client.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dd233cd6d98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/features/apiserver/client.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { getBackendSrv } from '@grafana/runtime';
+
+import { DatasourceAPIVersions } from './client';
+
+jest.mock('@grafana/runtime', () => ({
+  getBackendSrv: jest.fn().mockReturnValue({
+    get: jest.fn(),
+  }),
+  config: {},
+}));
+
+describe('DatasourceAPIVersions', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('get', async () => {
+    const getMock = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      groups: [
+        { name: 'testdata.datasource.grafana.app', preferredVersion: { version: 'v1' } },
+        { name: 'prometheus.datasource.grafana.app', preferredVersion: { version: 'v2' } },
+        { name: 'myorg-myplugin.datasource.grafana.app', preferredVersion: { version: 'v3' } },
+      ],
+    });
+    getBackendSrv().get = getMock;
+    const apiVersions = new DatasourceAPIVersions();
+    expect(await apiVersions.get('testdata')).toBe('v1');
+    expect(await apiVersions.get('grafana-testdata-datasource')).toBe('v1');
+    expect(await apiVersions.get('prometheus')).toBe('v2');
+    expect(await apiVersions.get('graphite')).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(await apiVersions.get('myorg-myplugin-datasource')).toBe('v3');
+    expect(getMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(getMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/apis');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/public/app/features/apiserver/client.ts b/public/app/features/apiserver/client.ts
index 6a23c3dce50..609d6a4c9ec 100644
--- a/public/app/features/apiserver/client.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/apiserver/client.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   AnnoKeyOriginPath,
   AnnoKeyOriginHash,
   AnnoKeyOriginName,
+  K8sAPIGroupList,
 } from './types';
 
 export interface GroupVersionResource {
@@ -110,3 +111,34 @@ function setOriginAsUI(meta: Partial<ObjectMeta>) {
   meta.annotations[AnnoKeyOriginPath] = window.location.pathname;
   meta.annotations[AnnoKeyOriginHash] = config.buildInfo.versionString;
 }
+
+export class DatasourceAPIVersions {
+  private apiVersions?: { [pluginID: string]: string };
+
+  async get(pluginID: string): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    if (this.apiVersions) {
+      return this.apiVersions[pluginID];
+    }
+    const apis = await getBackendSrv().get<K8sAPIGroupList>('/apis');
+    const apiVersions: { [pluginID: string]: string } = {};
+    apis.groups.forEach((group) => {
+      if (group.name.includes('datasource.grafana.app')) {
+        const id = group.name.split('.')[0];
+        apiVersions[id] = group.preferredVersion.version;
+        // workaround for plugins that don't append '-datasource' for the group name
+        // e.g. org-plugin-datasource uses org-plugin.datasource.grafana.app
+        if (!id.endsWith('-datasource')) {
+          if (!id.includes('-')) {
+            // workaroud for Grafana plugins that don't include the org either
+            // e.g. testdata uses testdata.datasource.grafana.app
+            apiVersions[`grafana-${id}-datasource`] = group.preferredVersion.version;
+          } else {
+            apiVersions[`${id}-datasource`] = group.preferredVersion.version;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    this.apiVersions = apiVersions;
+    return apiVersions[pluginID];
+  }
+}
diff --git a/public/app/features/apiserver/types.ts b/public/app/features/apiserver/types.ts
index 9065f67f668..e3ee1ded77c 100644
--- a/public/app/features/apiserver/types.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/apiserver/types.ts
@@ -150,3 +150,13 @@ export interface ResourceClient<T = object, K = string> {
   update(obj: ResourceForCreate<T, K>): Promise<Resource<T, K>>;
   delete(name: string): Promise<MetaStatus>;
 }
+
+export interface K8sAPIGroup {
+  name: string;
+  versions: Array<{ groupVersion: string; version: string }>;
+  preferredVersion: { groupVersion: string; version: string };
+}
+export interface K8sAPIGroupList {
+  kind: 'APIGroupList';
+  groups: K8sAPIGroup[];
+}
diff --git a/public/app/features/datasources/state/actions.ts b/public/app/features/datasources/state/actions.ts
index 10574a29bf5..24ab46c15b7 100644
--- a/public/app/features/datasources/state/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/datasources/state/actions.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 import { updateNavIndex } from 'app/core/actions';
 import { appEvents, contextSrv } from 'app/core/core';
 import { getBackendSrv } from 'app/core/services/backend_srv';
+import { DatasourceAPIVersions } from 'app/features/apiserver/client';
 import { ROUTES as CONNECTIONS_ROUTES } from 'app/features/connections/constants';
 import { getDatasourceSrv } from 'app/features/plugins/datasource_srv';
 import { getPluginSettings } from 'app/features/plugins/pluginSettings';
@@ -264,6 +265,8 @@ export function loadDataSourcePlugins(): ThunkResult<void> {
   };
 }
 
+const dsApiVersions = new DatasourceAPIVersions();
+
 export function updateDataSource(dataSource: DataSourceSettings) {
   return async (
     dispatch: (
@@ -271,6 +274,9 @@ export function updateDataSource(dataSource: DataSourceSettings) {
     ) => DataSourceSettings
   ) => {
     try {
+      if (config.featureToggles.grafanaAPIServerWithExperimentalAPIs) {
+        dataSource.apiVersion = await dsApiVersions.get(dataSource.type);
+      }
       await api.updateDataSource(dataSource);
     } catch (err) {
       const formattedError = parseHealthCheckError(err);