@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 from textwrap import dedent
 
 from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
     defenc,
     force_bytes,
     safe_decode,
@@ -1038,7 +1037,7 @@ def _prepare_ref(self, ref):
         if isinstance(ref, bytes):
             # Assume 40 bytes hexsha - bin-to-ascii for some reason returns bytes, not text
             refstr = ref.decode('ascii')
-        elif not isinstance(ref, string_types):
+        elif not isinstance(ref, str):
             refstr = str(ref)               # could be ref-object
 
         if not refstr.endswith("\n"):
 
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 
 
 from gitdb.utils.encoding import (
-    string_types,    # @UnusedImport
     text_type,       # @UnusedImport
     force_bytes,     # @UnusedImport
     force_text       # @UnusedImport
 
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 from collections import OrderedDict
 
 from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
     defenc,
     force_text,
     with_metaclass,
@@ -302,7 +301,7 @@ def _acquire_lock(self):
                 # END single file check
 
                 file_or_files = self._file_or_files
-                if not isinstance(self._file_or_files, string_types):
+                if not isinstance(self._file_or_files, str):
                     file_or_files = self._file_or_files.name
                 # END get filename from handle/stream
                 # initialize lock base - we want to write
@@ -578,7 +577,7 @@ def write(self):
         fp = self._file_or_files
 
         # we have a physical file on disk, so get a lock
-        is_file_lock = isinstance(fp, string_types + (IOBase, ))
+        is_file_lock = isinstance(fp, (str, IOBase))
         if is_file_lock:
             self._lock._obtain_lock()
         if not hasattr(fp, "seek"):
@@ -670,7 +669,7 @@ def _string_to_value(self, valuestr):
         if vl == 'true':
             return True
 
-        if not isinstance(valuestr, string_types):
+        if not isinstance(valuestr, str):
             raise TypeError(
                 "Invalid value type: only int, long, float and str are allowed",
                 valuestr)
 
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 """ Module containing all exceptions thrown throughout the git package, """
 
 from gitdb.exc import *     # NOQA @UnusedWildImport skipcq: PYL-W0401, PYL-W0614
-from git.compat import safe_decode, string_types
+from git.compat import safe_decode
 
 
 class GitError(Exception):
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def __init__(self, command, status=None, stderr=None, stdout=None):
                     status = u'exit code(%s)' % int(status)
                 except (ValueError, TypeError):
                     s = safe_decode(str(status))
-                    status = u"'%s'" % s if isinstance(status, string_types) else s
+                    status = u"'%s'" % s if isinstance(status, str) else s
 
         self._cmd = safe_decode(command[0])
         self._cmdline = u' '.join(safe_decode(i) for i in command)
 
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 import tempfile
 
 from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
     force_bytes,
     defenc,
 )
@@ -571,7 +570,7 @@ def _preprocess_add_items(self, items):
             items = [items]
 
         for item in items:
-            if isinstance(item, string_types):
+            if isinstance(item, str):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item))
             elif isinstance(item, (Blob, Submodule)):
                 entries.append(BaseIndexEntry.from_blob(item))
@@ -808,7 +807,7 @@ def _items_to_rela_paths(self, items):
         for item in items:
             if isinstance(item, (BaseIndexEntry, (Blob, Submodule))):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item.path))
-            elif isinstance(item, string_types):
+            elif isinstance(item, str):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item))
             else:
                 raise TypeError("Invalid item type: %r" % item)
@@ -1087,7 +1086,7 @@ def handle_stderr(proc, iter_checked_out_files):
             handle_stderr(proc, rval_iter)
             return rval_iter
         else:
-            if isinstance(paths, string_types):
+            if isinstance(paths, str):
                 paths = [paths]
 
             # make sure we have our entries loaded before we start checkout_index
@@ -1224,7 +1223,7 @@ def diff(self, other=diff.Diffable.Index, paths=None, create_patch=False, **kwar
         # index against anything but None is a reverse diff with the respective
         # item. Handle existing -R flags properly. Transform strings to the object
         # so that we can call diff on it
-        if isinstance(other, string_types):
+        if isinstance(other, str):
             other = self.repo.rev_parse(other)
         # END object conversion
 
 
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 import git
 from git.cmd import Git
 from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
     defenc,
     is_win,
 )
@@ -110,7 +109,7 @@ def __init__(self, repo, binsha, mode=None, path=None, name=None, parent_commit=
         if url is not None:
             self._url = url
         if branch_path is not None:
-            assert isinstance(branch_path, string_types)
+            assert isinstance(branch_path, str)
             self._branch_path = branch_path
         if name is not None:
             self._name = name
 
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 from .base import IndexObject
 from .blob import Blob
 from .submodule.base import Submodule
-from git.compat import string_types
 
 from .fun import (
     tree_entries_from_data,
@@ -290,7 +289,7 @@ def __getitem__(self, item):
             info = self._cache[item]
             return self._map_id_to_type[info[1] >> 12](self.repo, info[0], info[1], join_path(self.path, info[2]))
 
-        if isinstance(item, string_types):
+        if isinstance(item, str):
             # compatibility
             return self.join(item)
         # END index is basestring
 
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 import re
 import time
 
-from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
-    defenc
-)
+from git.compat import defenc
 from git.objects.util import (
     parse_date,
     Serializable,
@@ -185,7 +182,7 @@ def iter_entries(cls, stream):
         :param stream: file-like object containing the revlog in its native format
             or basestring instance pointing to a file to read"""
         new_entry = RefLogEntry.from_line
-        if isinstance(stream, string_types):
+        if isinstance(stream, str):
             stream = file_contents_ro_filepath(stream)
         # END handle stream type
         while True:
 
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 import os
 
-from git.compat import (
-    string_types,
-    defenc
-)
+from git.compat import defenc
 from git.objects import Object, Commit
 from git.util import (
     join_path,
@@ -300,7 +297,7 @@ def set_reference(self, ref, logmsg=None):
         elif isinstance(ref, Object):
             obj = ref
             write_value = ref.hexsha
-        elif isinstance(ref, string_types):
+        elif isinstance(ref, str):
             try:
                 obj = self.repo.rev_parse(ref + "^{}")    # optionally deref tags
                 write_value = obj.hexsha
 
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 import time
 import unittest
 
-from git.compat import string_types, is_win
+from git.compat import is_win
 from git.util import rmtree, cwd
 import gitdb
 
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def with_rw_repo(working_tree_ref, bare=False):
     To make working with relative paths easier, the cwd will be set to the working
     dir of the repository.
     """
-    assert isinstance(working_tree_ref, string_types), "Decorator requires ref name for working tree checkout"
+    assert isinstance(working_tree_ref, str), "Decorator requires ref name for working tree checkout"
 
     def argument_passer(func):
         @wraps(func)
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ def case(self, rw_repo, rw_daemon_repo)
     """
     from git import Git, Remote  # To avoid circular deps.
 
-    assert isinstance(working_tree_ref, string_types), "Decorator requires ref name for working tree checkout"
+    assert isinstance(working_tree_ref, str), "Decorator requires ref name for working tree checkout"
 
     def argument_passer(func):