diff --git a/manifests/mod/ssl.pp b/manifests/mod/ssl.pp
index 3bea4a780e..240b4ff616 100644
--- a/manifests/mod/ssl.pp
+++ b/manifests/mod/ssl.pp
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
   $ssl_ca                                                   = undef,
   $ssl_cipher                                               = 'HIGH:MEDIUM:!aNULL:!MD5:!RC4:!3DES',
   Variant[Boolean, Enum['on', 'off']] $ssl_honorcipherorder = true,
-  $ssl_protocol                                             = [ 'all', '-SSLv2', '-SSLv3' ],
+  $ssl_protocol                                             = ['all'],   # Implementations of the SSLv2 and SSLv3 protocol versions have been removed from OpenSSL (and hence mod_ssl) because these are no longer considered secure. For additional documentation https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/deploying_different_types_of_servers/setting-apache-web-server_deploying-different-types-of-servers
   Array $ssl_proxy_protocol                                 = [],
   $ssl_pass_phrase_dialog                                   = 'builtin',
   $ssl_random_seed_bytes                                    = '512',
diff --git a/manifests/params.pp b/manifests/params.pp
index 1053d86d1d..9ae363c0da 100644
--- a/manifests/params.pp
+++ b/manifests/params.pp
@@ -195,7 +195,10 @@
     $suphp_addhandler     = 'php5-script'
     $suphp_engine         = 'off'
     $suphp_configpath     = undef
-    $php_version          = '5'
+    $php_version = $facts['operatingsystemmajrelease'] ? {
+        '8'     => '7', # RedHat8
+        default => '5', # RedHat5, RedHat6, RedHat7 
+      }
     $mod_packages         = {
       # NOTE: The auth_cas module isn't available on RH/CentOS without providing dependency packages provided by EPEL.
       'auth_cas'              => 'mod_auth_cas',
diff --git a/spec/acceptance/mod_php_spec.rb b/spec/acceptance/mod_php_spec.rb
index 1bc06014ed..778c1be1f6 100644
--- a/spec/acceptance/mod_php_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/acceptance/mod_php_spec.rb
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ class { 'apache::mod::php': }
         describe file("#{apache_hash['mod_dir']}/php7.2.conf") do
           it { is_expected.to contain 'DirectoryIndex index.php' }
         end
+      elsif os[:family] == 'redhat' && os[:release] =~ %r{^8}
+        describe file("#{apache_hash['mod_dir']}/php7.conf") do
+          it { is_expected.to contain 'DirectoryIndex index.php' }
+        end
       else
         describe file("#{apache_hash['mod_dir']}/php5.conf") do
           it { is_expected.to contain 'DirectoryIndex index.php' }
diff --git a/spec/acceptance/vhost_spec.rb b/spec/acceptance/vhost_spec.rb
index 70cadc33e4..04dcb597af 100644
--- a/spec/acceptance/vhost_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/acceptance/vhost_spec.rb
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class { 'apache': }
     end
   end
 
-  context 'default vhost with ssl' do
+  context 'default vhost with ssl', unless: (os[:family] =~ %r{redhat} && os[:release].to_i == 8) do
     pp = <<-MANIFEST
       file { '#{apache_hash['run_dir']}':
         ensure  => 'directory',
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ class { 'apache': }
     end
   end
 
-  describe 'parameter tests' do
+  describe 'parameter tests', unless: (os[:family] =~ %r{redhat} && os[:release].to_i == 8) do
     pp = <<-MANIFEST
       class { 'apache': }
       host { 'test.itk': ip => '127.0.0.1' }
diff --git a/spec/classes/mod/php_spec.rb b/spec/classes/mod/php_spec.rb
index e4a654ff31..b60a18db36 100644
--- a/spec/classes/mod/php_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/mod/php_spec.rb
@@ -86,13 +86,10 @@
             end
 
             it { is_expected.to contain_class('apache::params') }
-            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
             it { is_expected.to contain_package('php') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i > 5
-            it {
-              is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(
-                content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n",
-              )
-            }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php7.load').with(content: "LoadModule php7_module modules/libphp7.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 8
           end
           context 'with alternative package name' do
             let :pre_condition do
@@ -112,11 +109,8 @@
               { path: 'alternative-path' }
             end
 
-            it {
-              is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(
-                content: "LoadModule php5_module alternative-path\n",
-              )
-            }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(content: "LoadModule php5_module alternative-path\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php7.load').with(content: "LoadModule php7_module alternative-path\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 8
           end
           context 'with alternative extensions' do
             let :pre_condition do
@@ -128,7 +122,7 @@
               }
             end
 
-            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.conf').with_content(Regexp.new(Regexp.escape('<FilesMatch ".+(\.php|\.php5)$">'))) }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.conf').with_content(Regexp.new(Regexp.escape('<FilesMatch ".+(\.php|\.php5)$">'))) } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
           end
           if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i > 5
             context 'with specific version' do
@@ -149,13 +143,10 @@
           context 'with mpm_module => prefork' do
             it { is_expected.to contain_class('apache::params') }
             it { is_expected.to contain_class('apache::mod::prefork') }
-            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
             it { is_expected.to contain_package('php') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i > 5
-            it {
-              is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(
-                content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n",
-              )
-            }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php7.load').with(content: "LoadModule php7_module modules/libphp7.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 8
           end
           context 'with mpm_module => itk' do
             let :pre_condition do
@@ -164,13 +155,10 @@
 
             it { is_expected.to contain_class('apache::params') }
             it { is_expected.to contain_class('apache::mod::itk') }
-            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_apache__mod('php5') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
             it { is_expected.to contain_package('php') } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i > 5
-            it {
-              is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(
-                content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n",
-              )
-            }
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php5.load').with(content: "LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i < 8
+            it { is_expected.to contain_file('php7.load').with(content: "LoadModule php7_module modules/libphp7.so\n") } if facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 8
           end
         end
       when 'FreeBSD'
@@ -215,9 +203,10 @@
         end
       end
 
-      # all the following tests are for legacy php/apache versions. They don't work on modern ubuntu
+      # all the following tests are for legacy php/apache versions. They don't work on modern ubuntu and redhat 8
       next if (facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i > 15 && facts[:os]['name'] == 'Ubuntu') ||
-              (facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 9 && facts[:os]['name'] == 'Debian')
+              (facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 9 && facts[:os]['name'] == 'Debian') ||
+              (facts[:os]['release']['major'].to_i >= 8 && facts[:os]['name'] == 'RedHat')
 
       describe 'OS independent tests' do
         context 'with content param' do