@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     stream_copy
 )
 from .exc import GitCommandError
-
+from git.compat import text_type
 
 execute_kwargs = ('istream', 'with_keep_cwd', 'with_extended_output',
                   'with_exceptions', 'as_process',
@@ -435,15 +435,15 @@ def transform_kwargs(self, split_single_char_options=False, **kwargs):
     @classmethod
     def __unpack_args(cls, arg_list):
         if not isinstance(arg_list, (list, tuple)):
-            if isinstance(arg_list, unicode):
+            if isinstance(arg_list, text_type):
                 return [arg_list.encode('utf-8')]
             return [str(arg_list)]
 
         outlist = list()
         for arg in arg_list:
             if isinstance(arg_list, (list, tuple)):
                 outlist.extend(cls.__unpack_args(arg))
-            elif isinstance(arg_list, unicode):
+            elif isinstance(arg_list, text_type):
                 outlist.append(arg_list.encode('utf-8'))
             # END recursion
             else:
 
@@ -5,15 +5,22 @@
 # This module is part of GitPython and is released under
 # the BSD License: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php
 """utilities to help provide compatibility with python 3"""
+# flake8: noqa
 
-from gitdb.utils.compat import (  # noqa
+from gitdb.utils.compat import (
     PY3,
     xrange,
     MAXSIZE,
     izip,
 )
 
-from gitdb.utils.encoding import (   # noqa
+from gitdb.utils.encoding import (
     string_types,
     text_type
 )
+
+if PY3:
+    import io
+    FileType = io.IOBase
+else:
+    FileType = file
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
 
 from git.odict import OrderedDict
 from git.util import LockFile
+from git.compat import (
+    string_types,
+    FileType
+)
 
 __all__ = ('GitConfigParser', 'SectionConstraint')
 
@@ -175,7 +179,7 @@ def __init__(self, file_or_files, read_only=True):
                     "Write-ConfigParsers can operate on a single file only, multiple files have been passed")
             # END single file check
 
-            if not isinstance(file_or_files, basestring):
+            if not isinstance(file_or_files, string_types):
                 file_or_files = file_or_files.name
             # END get filename from handle/stream
             # initialize lock base - we want to write
@@ -333,7 +337,7 @@ def write(self):
         close_fp = False
 
         # we have a physical file on disk, so get a lock
-        if isinstance(fp, (basestring, file)):
+        if isinstance(fp, string_types + (FileType, )):
             self._lock._obtain_lock()
         # END get lock for physical files
 
@@ -391,7 +395,7 @@ def get_value(self, section, option, default=None):
                 return default
             raise
 
-        types = (long, float)
+        types = (int, float)
         for numtype in types:
             try:
                 val = numtype(valuestr)
@@ -412,7 +416,7 @@ def get_value(self, section, option, default=None):
         if vl == 'true':
             return True
 
-        if not isinstance(valuestr, basestring):
+        if not isinstance(valuestr, string_types):
             raise TypeError("Invalid value type: only int, long, float and str are allowed", valuestr)
 
         return valuestr
 
@@ -39,7 +39,11 @@
 )
 
 from git.objects.util import Serializable
-from git.compat import izip
+from git.compat import (
+    izip,
+    xrange,
+    string_types,
+)
 
 from git.util import (
     LazyMixin,
@@ -541,7 +545,7 @@ def _preprocess_add_items(self, items):
         entries = list()
 
         for item in items:
-            if isinstance(item, basestring):
+            if isinstance(item, string_types):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item))
             elif isinstance(item, (Blob, Submodule)):
                 entries.append(BaseIndexEntry.from_blob(item))
@@ -752,7 +756,7 @@ 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, basestring):
+            elif isinstance(item, string_types):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item))
             else:
                 raise TypeError("Invalid item type: %r" % item)
@@ -1004,7 +1008,7 @@ def handle_stderr(proc, iter_checked_out_files):
             handle_stderr(proc, rval_iter)
             return rval_iter
         else:
-            if isinstance(paths, basestring):
+            if isinstance(paths, string_types):
                 paths = [paths]
 
             # make sure we have our entries loaded before we start checkout_index
@@ -1140,7 +1144,7 @@ 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, basestring):
+        if isinstance(other, string_types):
             other = self.repo.rev_parse(other)
         # END object conversion
 
 
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
     altz_to_utctz_str,
     parse_actor_and_date
 )
+from git.compat import text_type
 
 from time import (
     time,
@@ -378,7 +379,7 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
 
         a = self.author
         aname = a.name
-        if isinstance(aname, unicode):
+        if isinstance(aname, text_type):
             aname = aname.encode(self.encoding)
         # END handle unicode in name
 
@@ -390,7 +391,7 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
 
         # encode committer
         aname = c.name
-        if isinstance(aname, unicode):
+        if isinstance(aname, text_type):
             aname = aname.encode(self.encoding)
         # END handle unicode in name
         write(fmt % ("committer", aname, c.email,
@@ -408,7 +409,7 @@ def _serialize(self, stream):
         write("\n")
 
         # write plain bytes, be sure its encoded according to our encoding
-        if isinstance(self.message, unicode):
+        if isinstance(self.message, text_type):
             write(self.message.encode(self.encoding))
         else:
             write(self.message)
 
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 """Module with functions which are supposed to be as fast as possible"""
 from stat import S_ISDIR
+from git.compat import (
+    xrange,
+    text_type
+)
 
 __all__ = ('tree_to_stream', 'tree_entries_from_data', 'traverse_trees_recursive',
            'traverse_tree_recursive')
@@ -28,7 +32,7 @@ def tree_to_stream(entries, write):
         # hence we must convert to an utf8 string for it to work properly.
         # According to my tests, this is exactly what git does, that is it just
         # takes the input literally, which appears to be utf8 on linux.
-        if isinstance(name, unicode):
+        if isinstance(name, text_type):
             name = name.encode("utf8")
         write("%s %s\0%s" % (mode_str, name, binsha))
     # END for each item
 
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     InvalidGitRepositoryError,
     NoSuchPathError
 )
+from git.compat import string_types
 
 import stat
 import git
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ 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, basestring)
+            assert isinstance(branch_path, string_types)
             self._branch_path = branch_path
         if name is not None:
             self._name = name
 
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 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,
@@ -232,7 +233,7 @@ 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, basestring):
+        if isinstance(item, string_types):
             # compatability
             return self.__div__(item)
         # END index is basestring
 
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
     Serializable,
     altz_to_utctz_str,
 )
+from git.compat import (
+    xrange,
+    string_types
+)
 
 import time
 import re
@@ -170,7 +174,7 @@ 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, basestring):
+        if isinstance(stream, string_types):
             stream = file_contents_ro_filepath(stream)
         # END handle stream type
         while True:
 
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     hex_to_bin,
     LockedFD
 )
+from git.compat import string_types
 
 from .log import RefLog
 
@@ -274,7 +275,7 @@ def set_reference(self, ref, logmsg=None):
         elif isinstance(ref, Object):
             obj = ref
             write_value = ref.hexsha
-        elif isinstance(ref, basestring):
+        elif isinstance(ref, string_types):
             try:
                 obj = self.repo.rev_parse(ref + "^{}")    # optionally deref tags
                 write_value = obj.hexsha