diff --git a/docs/sources/developers/http_api/dashboard_versions.md b/docs/sources/developers/http_api/dashboard_versions.md
index 96960701098..ef25424bbc7 100644
--- a/docs/sources/developers/http_api/dashboard_versions.md
+++ b/docs/sources/developers/http_api/dashboard_versions.md
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ JSON response body schema:
 Status codes:
 
 - **200** - OK
+- **400** - Bad request (specified version has the same content as the current dashboard)
 - **401** - Unauthorized
 - **404** - Not found (dashboard not found or dashboard version not found)
 - **500** - Internal server error (indicates issue retrieving dashboard tags from database)
diff --git a/pkg/api/dashboard.go b/pkg/api/dashboard.go
index 17d37830645..4406b5d8891 100644
--- a/pkg/api/dashboard.go
+++ b/pkg/api/dashboard.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -1114,6 +1115,13 @@ func (hs *HTTPServer) RestoreDashboardVersion(c *contextmodel.ReqContext) respon
 		return response.Error(http.StatusNotFound, "Dashboard version not found", nil)
 	}
 
+	// do not allow restores if the json data is identical
+	// this is needed for the k8s flow, as the generation id will be used on the
+	// version table, and the generation id only increments when the actual spec is changed
+	if compareDashboardData(version.Data.MustMap(), dash.Data.MustMap()) {
+		return response.Error(http.StatusBadRequest, "Current dashboard is identical to the specified version", nil)
+	}
+
 	var userID int64
 	if id, err := identity.UserIdentifier(c.SignedInUser.GetID()); err == nil {
 		userID = id
@@ -1135,6 +1143,18 @@ func (hs *HTTPServer) RestoreDashboardVersion(c *contextmodel.ReqContext) respon
 	return hs.postDashboard(c, saveCmd)
 }
 
+func compareDashboardData(versionData, dashData map[string]any) bool {
+	// these can be different but the actual data is the same
+	delete(versionData, "version")
+	delete(dashData, "version")
+	delete(versionData, "id")
+	delete(dashData, "id")
+	delete(versionData, "uid")
+	delete(dashData, "uid")
+
+	return reflect.DeepEqual(versionData, dashData)
+}
+
 // swagger:route GET /dashboards/tags dashboards getDashboardTags
 //
 // Get all dashboards tags of an organisation.
diff --git a/pkg/api/dashboard_test.go b/pkg/api/dashboard_test.go
index 0dfdcd43934..c32c3d1835c 100644
--- a/pkg/api/dashboard_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/dashboard_test.go
@@ -585,6 +585,38 @@ func TestDashboardAPIEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 		}).Return(nil, nil)
 
+		cmd := dtos.RestoreDashboardVersionCommand{
+			Version: 1,
+		}
+		fakeDashboardVersionService := dashvertest.NewDashboardVersionServiceFake()
+		fakeDashboardVersionService.ExpectedDashboardVersions = []*dashver.DashboardVersionDTO{
+			{
+				DashboardID: 2,
+				Version:     1,
+				Data: simplejson.NewFromAny(map[string]any{
+					"title": "Dash1",
+				}),
+			},
+		}
+		mockSQLStore := dbtest.NewFakeDB()
+
+		restoreDashboardVersionScenario(t, "When calling POST on", "/api/dashboards/id/1/restore",
+			"/api/dashboards/id/:dashboardId/restore", dashboardService, fakeDashboardVersionService, cmd, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+				sc.dashboardVersionService = fakeDashboardVersionService
+
+				callRestoreDashboardVersion(sc)
+				assert.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, sc.resp.Code)
+			}, mockSQLStore)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("Should not be able to restore to the same data", func(t *testing.T) {
+		fakeDash := dashboards.NewDashboard("Child dash")
+		fakeDash.ID = 2
+		fakeDash.HasACL = false
+
+		dashboardService := dashboards.NewFakeDashboardService(t)
+		dashboardService.On("GetDashboard", mock.Anything, mock.AnythingOfType("*dashboards.GetDashboardQuery")).Return(fakeDash, nil)
+
 		cmd := dtos.RestoreDashboardVersionCommand{
 			Version: 1,
 		}
@@ -602,6 +634,42 @@ func TestDashboardAPIEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
 			"/api/dashboards/id/:dashboardId/restore", dashboardService, fakeDashboardVersionService, cmd, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				sc.dashboardVersionService = fakeDashboardVersionService
 
+				callRestoreDashboardVersion(sc)
+				assert.Equal(t, http.StatusBadRequest, sc.resp.Code)
+			}, mockSQLStore)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("Given dashboard in general folder being restored should restore to general folder", func(t *testing.T) {
+		fakeDash := dashboards.NewDashboard("Child dash")
+		fakeDash.ID = 2
+		fakeDash.HasACL = false
+
+		dashboardService := dashboards.NewFakeDashboardService(t)
+		dashboardService.On("GetDashboard", mock.Anything, mock.AnythingOfType("*dashboards.GetDashboardQuery")).Return(fakeDash, nil)
+		dashboardService.On("SaveDashboard", mock.Anything, mock.AnythingOfType("*dashboards.SaveDashboardDTO"), mock.AnythingOfType("bool")).Run(func(args mock.Arguments) {
+			cmd := args.Get(1).(*dashboards.SaveDashboardDTO)
+			cmd.Dashboard = &dashboards.Dashboard{
+				ID: 2, UID: "uid", Title: "Dash", Slug: "dash", Version: 1,
+			}
+		}).Return(nil, nil)
+
+		fakeDashboardVersionService := dashvertest.NewDashboardVersionServiceFake()
+		fakeDashboardVersionService.ExpectedDashboardVersions = []*dashver.DashboardVersionDTO{
+			{
+				DashboardID: 2,
+				Version:     1,
+				Data: simplejson.NewFromAny(map[string]any{
+					"title": "Dash1",
+				}),
+			},
+		}
+
+		cmd := dtos.RestoreDashboardVersionCommand{
+			Version: 1,
+		}
+		mockSQLStore := dbtest.NewFakeDB()
+		restoreDashboardVersionScenario(t, "When calling POST on", "/api/dashboards/id/1/restore",
+			"/api/dashboards/id/:dashboardId/restore", dashboardService, fakeDashboardVersionService, cmd, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				callRestoreDashboardVersion(sc)
 				assert.Equal(t, http.StatusOK, sc.resp.Code)
 			}, mockSQLStore)
@@ -626,7 +694,9 @@ func TestDashboardAPIEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
 			{
 				DashboardID: 2,
 				Version:     1,
-				Data:        fakeDash.Data,
+				Data: simplejson.NewFromAny(map[string]any{
+					"title": "Dash1",
+				}),
 			},
 		}