diff --git a/beater/beater.go b/beater/beater.go
index b0daa61ca95..25daf2ed4d3 100644
--- a/beater/beater.go
+++ b/beater/beater.go
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@
 package beater
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
@@ -219,6 +221,9 @@ func (bt *beater) start(ctx context.Context, cancelContext context.CancelFunc, b
 type reloader struct {
 	runServerContext context.Context
 	args             sharedServerRunnerParams
+	// The json marshaled bytes of config.Config, with all the dynamic
+	// options zeroed out.
+	staticConfig []byte
 
 	mu     sync.Mutex
 	runner *serverRunner
@@ -256,26 +261,81 @@ func (r *reloader) Reload(configs []*reload.ConfigWithMeta) error {
 func (r *reloader) reload(rawConfig *common.Config, namespace string, fleetConfig *config.Fleet) error {
 	r.mu.Lock()
 	defer r.mu.Unlock()
-	if r.runner != nil {
-		// TODO: reload should only stop the existing runner if the
-		// changed config requires a restart. Otherwise, it should
-		// update the serverRunner's config dynamically.
-		r.runner.cancelRunServerContext()
-		<-r.runner.done
-		r.runner = nil
-	}
-	runner, err := newServerRunner(r.runServerContext, serverRunnerParams{
-		sharedServerRunnerParams: r.args,
-		Namespace:                namespace,
-		RawConfig:                rawConfig,
-		FleetConfig:              fleetConfig,
-	})
+	shouldRestart, err := r.shouldRestart(rawConfig)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	r.runner = runner
-	go r.runner.run()
-	return nil
+
+	if shouldRestart {
+		if r.runner != nil {
+			r.runner.cancelRunServerContext()
+			<-r.runner.done
+			r.runner = nil
+		}
+		runner, err := newServerRunner(r.runServerContext, serverRunnerParams{
+			sharedServerRunnerParams: r.args,
+			Namespace:                namespace,
+			RawConfig:                rawConfig,
+			FleetConfig:              fleetConfig,
+		})
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		r.runner = runner
+		go r.runner.run()
+		return nil
+	}
+	// Update current runner.
+	// TODO: This should actually update the runner.
+	return r.runner.updateDynamicConfig(rawConfig)
+}
+
+// Compare the new config with the old config to see if the server needs to be
+// restarted.
+func (r *reloader) shouldRestart(cfg *common.Config) (bool, error) {
+	// Make a copy of cfg so we don't mutate it
+	cfg, err := common.MergeConfigs(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	// Remove dynamic values in the config
+	for _, key := range []string{
+		"max_header_size",
+		"idle_timeout",
+		"read_timeout",
+		"write_timeout",
+		"max_event_size",
+		"shutdown_timeout",
+		"response_headers",
+		"capture_personal_data",
+		"auth.anonymous.rate_limit",
+		"expvar",
+		"rum",
+		"auth.api_key.limit",
+		"api_key.limit", // old name for auth.api_key.limit
+		"default_service_environment",
+		"agent_config",
+	} {
+		cfg.Remove(key, -1)
+	}
+
+	// Does our static config match the previous static config? If not,
+	// then we should restart.
+	m := make(map[string]interface{})
+	if err := cfg.Unpack(&m); err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	key, err := json.Marshal(m)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	shouldRestart := !bytes.Equal(key, r.staticConfig)
+	// Set the static config on reloader for the next comparison
+	r.staticConfig = key
+
+	return shouldRestart, nil
 }
 
 type serverRunner struct {
@@ -431,6 +491,10 @@ func (s *serverRunner) run() error {
 	return publisher.Stop(s.backgroundContext)
 }
 
+func (s *serverRunner) updateDynamicConfig(rawConfig *common.Config) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (s *serverRunner) wrapRunServerWithPreprocessors(runServer RunServerFunc) RunServerFunc {
 	processors := []model.BatchProcessor{
 		modelprocessor.SetHostHostname{},
diff --git a/beater/beater_test.go b/beater/beater_test.go
index 4c099226b36..f288a07f0af 100644
--- a/beater/beater_test.go
+++ b/beater/beater_test.go
@@ -328,3 +328,41 @@ func TestFleetStoreUsed(t *testing.T) {
 
 	assert.True(t, called)
 }
+
+func TestShouldRestart(t *testing.T) {
+	c := common.NewConfig()
+	r := &reloader{}
+
+	shouldRestart, err := r.shouldRestart(c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.True(t, shouldRestart)
+
+	shouldRestart, err = r.shouldRestart(c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, shouldRestart)
+
+	// Change some dynamic options and verify we do not want to restart.
+	c.SetInt("max_header_size", -1, 12345)
+	c.SetString("idle_timeout", -1, "1s")
+	c.SetChild("agent_config", -1, common.MustNewConfigFrom([]map[string]interface{}{{
+		"service": map[string]interface{}{
+			"name": "service",
+		},
+		"config": map[string]string{"log_level": "debug"},
+	}}))
+
+	shouldRestart, err = r.shouldRestart(c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, shouldRestart)
+
+	// We use the original cfg elsewhere, so make sure we don't mutate it.
+	maxHeaderSize, _ := c.Int("max_header_size", -1)
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(12345), maxHeaderSize)
+
+	// Change some static options and verify we do want to restart.
+	c.SetInt("max_connections", -1, 10)
+	shouldRestart, err = r.shouldRestart(c)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, shouldRestart)
+}