diff --git a/.coveragerc b/.coveragerc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..adb1727d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.coveragerc
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+[run]
+source = imgee
+
+[report]
+# Regexes for lines to exclude from consideration
+exclude_lines =
+    # Have to re-enable the standard pragma
+    pragma: no cover
+
+    # Don't complain about missing debug-only code
+    def __repr__
+    if self\.debug
+
+    # Don't complain about importerror handlers
+    except ImportError
+
+    # Don't complain if tests don't hit defensive assertion code:
+    raise AssertionError
+    raise NotImplementedError
+
+    # Don't complain if non-runnable code isn't run:
+    if 0:
+    if False:
+    if __name__ == .__main__.:
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 32c84c02..4904881e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ nosetests.xml
 .sass-cache
 instance/production.py
 instance/development.py
+instance/testing.py
 baseframe-packed.css
 baseframe-packed.js
 error.log
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 1e23783c..d0a28772 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ env:
   - FLASK_ENV=TESTING
 language: python
 python:
-  - 2.7
+  - 3.6
 services:
   - redis-server
 before_install:
diff --git a/imgee/models/__init__.py b/imgee/models/__init__.py
index aeff7f71..9a42364e 100644
--- a/imgee/models/__init__.py
+++ b/imgee/models/__init__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 db = SQLAlchemy(app)
 
-from imgee.models.user import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
-from imgee.models.stored_file import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
-from imgee.models.thumbnail import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
-from imgee.models.profile import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
+from .user import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
+from .stored_file import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
+from .thumbnail import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
+from .profile import *  # NOQA  # isort:skip
diff --git a/imgee/models/stored_file.py b/imgee/models/stored_file.py
index 65a1ce35..9d339fc9 100644
--- a/imgee/models/stored_file.py
+++ b/imgee/models/stored_file.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def dict_data(self):
             'title': self.title,
             'uploaded': self.created_at.isoformat() + 'Z',
             'filesize': app.jinja_env.filters['filesizeformat'](self.size),
-            'imgsize': u'%s×%s px' % (self.width, self.height),
+            'imgsize': '%s×%s px' % (self.width, self.height),
             'url': url_for('view_image', profile=self.profile.name, image=self.name),
             'thumb_url': url_for(
                 'get_image', image=self.name, size=app.config.get('THUMBNAIL_SIZE')
diff --git a/imgee/storage.py b/imgee/storage.py
index 4fd40b7c..c1d6def3 100644
--- a/imgee/storage.py
+++ b/imgee/storage.py
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def save_file(fp, profile, title=None):
     img_name = "%s%s" % (id_, extn)
     local_path = path_for(img_name)
 
-    with open(local_path, 'w') as img:
+    with open(local_path, 'wb') as img:
         img.write(fp.read())
 
     stored_file = save_img_in_db(
@@ -116,13 +116,13 @@ def save_img_in_db(name, title, local_path, profile, mimetype, orig_extn):
     width, height = get_width_height(local_path)
     stored_file = StoredFile(
         name=name,
-        title=unicode(title),
+        title=title,
         profile=profile,
-        orig_extn=unicode(orig_extn),
+        orig_extn=orig_extn,
         size=size_in_bytes,
         width=width,
         height=height,
-        mimetype=unicode(mimetype),
+        mimetype=mimetype,
     )
     if (
         'thumb_extn' in ALLOWED_MIMETYPES[mimetype]
@@ -153,23 +153,24 @@ def save_tn_in_db(img, tn_name, size):
     return name
 
 
-def save_on_s3(filename, remotename='', content_type='', bucket='', folder=''):
+def save_on_s3(filename, remotename='', content_type=''):
     """
     Save contents from file named `filename` to `remotename` on S3.
     """
-    b = bucket or get_s3_bucket()
-    folder = get_s3_folder(folder)
+    bucket = get_s3_bucket()
+    folder = get_s3_folder()
+    key = os.path.join(folder, filename)
 
-    with open(path_for(filename)) as fp:
+    with open(path_for(filename), 'rb') as fp:
         filename = remotename or filename
-        k = b.new_key(folder + filename)
-        headers = {
-            'Cache-Control': 'max-age=31536000',  # 60*60*24*365
-            'Content-Type': get_file_type(fp, filename),
-            # once cached, it is set to expire after a year
-            'Expires': datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(days=365),
-        }
-        k.set_contents_from_file(fp, policy='public-read', headers=headers)
+        bucket.put_object(
+            ACL='public-read',
+            Key=key,
+            Body=fp.read(),
+            CacheControl='max-age=31536000',
+            ContentType=content_type or get_file_type(fp, filename),
+            Expires=datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(days=365),
+        )
     return filename
 
 
@@ -181,7 +182,7 @@ def parse_size(size):
     Calculate and return (w, h) from the query parameter `size`.
     Returns None if not formattable.
     """
-    if isinstance(size, (str, unicode)):
+    if isinstance(size, str):
         # return (w, h) if size is 'wxh'
         r = r'^(\d+)(x(\d+))?$'
         matched = re.match(r, size)
@@ -236,7 +237,7 @@ def get_fitting_size(original_size, size):
             w, h = w * size[1] / float(h), size[1]
 
     size = int(w), int(h)
-    size = map(lambda x: max(x, 1), size)  # let the width or height be atleast 1px.
+    size = [max(x, 1) for x in size]  # let the width or height be atleast 1px.
     return size
 
 
@@ -353,7 +354,9 @@ def delete(stored_file, commit=True):
     keys = [(get_s3_folder() + thumbnail.name + extn) for thumbnail in thumbnails]
     keys.append(get_s3_folder() + stored_file.name + extn)
     bucket = get_s3_bucket()
-    bucket.delete_keys(keys)
+    bucket.delete_objects(
+        Delete={'Objects': [{'Key': key} for key in keys], 'Quiet': True}
+    )
 
     # remove from the db
     # remove thumbnails explicitly.
diff --git a/imgee/tasks.py b/imgee/tasks.py
index 06169ee8..e8860e28 100644
--- a/imgee/tasks.py
+++ b/imgee/tasks.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def is_valid_query(self, query):
         return bool(self.filename_pattern.match(query))
 
     def key_for(self, taskid):
-        return u'{key_prefix}:{taskid}'.format(
+        return '{key_prefix}:{taskid}'.format(
             key_prefix=self.key_prefix, taskid=taskid
         )
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def search(self, query):
         # >> KEYS imgee:registry:default:*query*
         if not self.is_valid_query(query):
             raise InvalidRedisQueryException(
-                u'Invalid query for searching redis keys: {}'.format(query)
+                'Invalid query for searching redis keys: {}'.format(query)
             )
         return self.connection.keys(self.key_for('*{}*'.format(query)))
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def keys_starting_with(self, query):
         # thumbnail keys, which look like "name_wNN_hNN", hence the _
         if not self.is_valid_query(query):
             raise InvalidRedisQueryException(
-                u'Invalid query for searching redis keys, starting with: {}'.format(
+                'Invalid query for searching redis keys, starting with: {}'.format(
                     query
                 )
             )
diff --git a/imgee/utils.py b/imgee/utils.py
index 3c109840..f6e68ad7 100644
--- a/imgee/utils.py
+++ b/imgee/utils.py
@@ -1,16 +1,15 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
 from subprocess import CalledProcessError, check_output
-from urlparse import urljoin
+from urllib.parse import urljoin
 from uuid import uuid4
 import os.path
 import re
 
 from flask import request
 
-from boto import connect_s3
-from boto.s3.bucket import Bucket
-from boto.s3.key import Key
+import boto3
+import botocore
 from PIL import Image
 import defusedxml.cElementTree as ElementTree
 import magic
@@ -19,6 +18,7 @@
 
 from . import app
 
+
 THUMBNAIL_COMMANDS = {
     'inkscape': "inkscape -z -f {src} -e {src}.original.png && convert -quiet -thumbnail {width}x{height} {src}.original.png -colorspace sRGB -quality 75% {dest}",
     'rsvg-convert': "rsvg-convert --width={width} --height={height} --keep-aspect-ratio=TRUE --format={format} {src} > {dest}",
@@ -28,212 +28,212 @@
 }
 
 ALLOWED_MIMETYPES = {
-    'image/jpg': {'allowed_extns': [u'.jpe', u'.jpg', u'.jpeg'], 'extn': u'.jpeg'},
-    'image/jpe': {'allowed_extns': [u'.jpe', u'.jpg', u'.jpeg'], 'extn': u'.jpeg'},
-    'image/jpeg': {'allowed_extns': [u'.jpe', u'.jpg', u'.jpeg'], 'extn': u'.jpeg'},
-    'image/pjpeg': {'allowed_extns': [u'.jpe', u'.jpg', u'.jpeg'], 'extn': u'.jpeg'},
-    'image/png': {'allowed_extns': [u'.png'], 'extn': u'.png'},
+    'image/jpg': {'allowed_extns': ['.jpe', '.jpg', '.jpeg'], 'extn': '.jpeg'},
+    'image/jpe': {'allowed_extns': ['.jpe', '.jpg', '.jpeg'], 'extn': '.jpeg'},
+    'image/jpeg': {'allowed_extns': ['.jpe', '.jpg', '.jpeg'], 'extn': '.jpeg'},
+    'image/pjpeg': {'allowed_extns': ['.jpe', '.jpg', '.jpeg'], 'extn': '.jpeg'},
+    'image/png': {'allowed_extns': ['.png'], 'extn': '.png'},
     'image/gif': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.gif'],
-        'extn': u'.gif',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.gif'],
+        'extn': '.gif',
         'processor': 'convert-layered',
     },
     'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.psd'],
-        'extn': u'.psd',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.psd'],
+        'extn': '.psd',
         'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
         'processor': 'convert-layered',
     },
     'application/pdf': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.pdf', u'.ai'],
-        'extn': [u'.pdf', u'.ai'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.pdf', '.ai'],
+        'extn': ['.pdf', '.ai'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'convert-pdf',
     },
     'application/illustrator': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.ai'],
-        'extn': u'.ai',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.ai'],
+        'extn': '.ai',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/postscript': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.eps'],
-        'extn': u'.eps',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.eps'],
+        'extn': '.eps',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'image/svg+xml': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.svg'],
-        'extn': u'.svg',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.svg'],
+        'extn': '.svg',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'rsvg-convert',
     },
     'application/x-gzip': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.svgz'],
-        'extn': u'.svgz',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.svgz'],
+        'extn': '.svgz',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'rsvg-convert',
     },
-    'image/bmp': {'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'], 'extn': u'.bmp', 'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg'},
+    'image/bmp': {'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'], 'extn': '.bmp', 'thumb_extn': '.jpeg'},
     'image/x-bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/x-bitmap': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/x-xbitmap': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/x-win-bitmap': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/x-windows-bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/ms-bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'image/x-ms-bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'application/bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'application/x-bmp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'application/x-win-bitmap': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.bmp'],
-        'extn': u'.bmp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.bmp'],
+        'extn': '.bmp',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
     'application/cdr': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'application/coreldraw': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'application/x-cdr': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'application/x-coreldraw': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'application/vnd.corel-draw': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'image/cdr': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'image/x-cdr': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'image/x-coreldraw': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.cdr'],
-        'extn': u'.cdr',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.cdr'],
+        'extn': '.cdr',
         'thumb_extn': '.png',
         'processor': 'inkscape',
     },
     'application/eps': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.eps'],
-        'extn': u'.eps',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.eps'],
+        'extn': '.eps',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/x-eps': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.eps'],
-        'extn': u'.eps',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.eps'],
+        'extn': '.eps',
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
-    'image/eps': {'allowed_extns': [u'.eps'], 'extn': u'.eps', 'thumb_extn': u'.png'},
-    'image/x-eps': {'allowed_extns': [u'.eps'], 'extn': u'.eps', 'thumb_extn': u'.png'},
+    'image/eps': {'allowed_extns': ['.eps'], 'extn': '.eps', 'thumb_extn': '.png'},
+    'image/x-eps': {'allowed_extns': ['.eps'], 'extn': '.eps', 'thumb_extn': '.png'},
     'image/tif': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'image/x-tif': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'image/tiff': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'image/x-tiff': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/tif': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/x-tif': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/tiff': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'application/x-tiff': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'extn': [u'.tif', u'.tiff'],
-        'thumb_extn': u'.png',
+        'allowed_extns': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'extn': ['.tif', '.tiff'],
+        'thumb_extn': '.png',
     },
     'image/webp': {
-        'allowed_extns': [u'.webp'],
+        'allowed_extns': ['.webp'],
         'extn': '.webp',
-        'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg',
+        'thumb_extn': '.jpeg',
     },
-    'image/x-xcf': {'allowed_extns': [u'.xcf'], 'extn': '.xcf', 'thumb_extn': u'.jpeg'},
+    'image/x-xcf': {'allowed_extns': ['.xcf'], 'extn': '.xcf', 'thumb_extn': '.jpeg'},
 }
 
 
 EXTNS = []
-for mimetype, data in ALLOWED_MIMETYPES.iteritems():
+for mimetype, data in ALLOWED_MIMETYPES.items():
     if type(data['extn']) == list:
         for extn in data['extn']:
             EXTNS.append(extn)
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@
 
 
 def newid():
-    return unicode(uuid4().hex)
+    return str(uuid4().hex)
 
 
 def get_media_domain(scheme=None):
@@ -303,9 +303,8 @@ def is_animated_gif(local_path):
 
 def get_file_type(fp, filename=None):
     fp.seek(0)
-    data = fp.read(1024)  # https://github.com/ahupp/python-magic#usage
+    result = magic.from_buffer(fp.read(), mime=True)
     fp.seek(0)
-    result = magic.from_buffer(data, mime=True)
     if result in ('text/plain', 'text/xml', 'application/xml'):
         if is_svg(fp):
             return 'image/svg+xml'
@@ -322,14 +321,18 @@ def is_file_allowed(fp, provided_mimetype=None, filename=None):
 
 
 # -- s3 related --
-def get_s3_connection():
-    return connect_s3(app.config['AWS_ACCESS_KEY'], app.config['AWS_SECRET_KEY'])
+
+
+def get_s3_client():
+    return boto3.resource(
+        's3',
+        aws_access_key_id=app.config['AWS_ACCESS_KEY'],
+        aws_secret_access_key=app.config['AWS_SECRET_KEY'],
+    )
 
 
 def get_s3_bucket():
-    conn = get_s3_connection()
-    bucket = Bucket(conn, app.config['AWS_BUCKET'])
-    return bucket
+    return get_s3_client().Bucket(app.config['AWS_BUCKET'])
 
 
 def get_s3_folder(f=''):
@@ -347,12 +350,10 @@ def exists_in_s3(thumb):
     if 'thumb_extn' in ALLOWED_MIMETYPES[thumb.stored_file.mimetype]:
         extn = ALLOWED_MIMETYPES[thumb.stored_file.mimetype]['thumb_extn']
     key = os.path.join(folder, thumb.name + extn)
-    # print("checking whether exists in s3: {}".format(key))
-    resp = bucket.get_key(key)
-    if not resp:
-        # print("does not exist")
+    try:
+        bucket.Object(key).load()
+    except botocore.exceptions.ClientError:
         return False
-    # print("exists")
     return True
 
 
@@ -361,9 +362,8 @@ def download_from_s3(img_name):
     if not os.path.exists(local_path):
         bucket = get_s3_bucket()
         folder = get_s3_folder()
-        k = Key(bucket)
-        k.key = os.path.join(folder, img_name)
-        k.get_contents_to_filename(local_path)
+        key = os.path.join(folder, img_name)
+        bucket.Object(key).download_file(local_path)
     return local_path
 
 
@@ -378,6 +378,7 @@ def get_width_height(img_path):
             o = check_output(
                 'identify -quiet -ping -format "%wx%h" {}[0]'.format(img_path),
                 shell=True,
+                universal_newlines=True
             )
             w, h = o.split('x')
         elif extn in ['.cdr']:
@@ -394,7 +395,8 @@ def get_width_height(img_path):
                 w, h = int(round(float(wo))), int(round(float(ho)))
         else:
             o = check_output(
-                'identify -quiet -ping -format "%wx%h" {}'.format(img_path), shell=True
+                'identify -quiet -ping -format "%wx%h" {}'.format(img_path), shell=True,
+                universal_newlines=True
             )
             w, h = o.split('x')
         return (w, h)
diff --git a/imgee/views/files.py b/imgee/views/files.py
index f45e7d70..db56a04e 100644
--- a/imgee/views/files.py
+++ b/imgee/views/files.py
@@ -39,10 +39,11 @@ def _redirect_url_frm_upload(profile_name):
 def upload_file(profile):
     upload_form = UploadImageForm()
     if upload_form.validate_on_submit():
-        file_ = request.files['upload_file']
-        title, stored_file = save_file(file_, profile=profile)
-        flash('"%s" uploaded successfully.' % title)
-        return redirect(_redirect_url_frm_upload(profile.name))
+        imgfile = request.files['upload_file']
+        if imgfile.filename != '':
+            title, stored_file = save_file(imgfile, profile=profile)
+            flash('"%s" uploaded successfully.' % title)
+            return redirect(_redirect_url_frm_upload(profile.name))
     return render_template('form.html.jinja2', form=upload_form, profile=profile)
 
 
diff --git a/imgee/views/labels.py b/imgee/views/labels.py
index 00734f1c..55e734a6 100644
--- a/imgee/views/labels.py
+++ b/imgee/views/labels.py
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ def utils_save_label(label_name, profile, commit=True):
 
 
 def utils_delete_label(label):
-    if isinstance(label, basestring):
+    if isinstance(label, str):
         label = Label.query.filter_by(title=label).first()
     db.session.delete(label)
     db.session.commit()
diff --git a/imgee/views/login.py b/imgee/views/login.py
index 9df7731a..975d444c 100644
--- a/imgee/views/login.py
+++ b/imgee/views/login.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ def login():
 @app.route('/logout')
 @lastuser.logout_handler
 def logout():
-    flash(u"You are now logged out", category='info')
+    flash("You are now logged out", category='info')
     return get_next_url()
 
 
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ def lastuser_error(error, error_description=None, error_uri=None):
         flash("You denied the request to login", category='error')
         return redirect(get_next_url())
     return Response(
-        u"Error: %s\n"
-        u"Description: %s\n"
-        u"URI: %s" % (error, error_description, error_uri),
+        "Error: %s\n"
+        "Description: %s\n"
+        "URI: %s" % (error, error_description, error_uri),
         mimetype="text/plain",
     )
diff --git a/instance/testing.py b/instance/testing.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 3a2430be..00000000
--- a/instance/testing.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-from os import environ
-
-# this will sit inside `app.static_folder`
-UPLOADED_FILES_DIR = 'test_uploads'
-
-AWS_FOLDER = 'test/'
-
-UNKNOWN_FILE_THUMBNAIL = 'unknown.jpeg'
-
-#: S3 Configuration; AWS credentials with restricted access
-AWS_ACCESS_KEY = environ.get('AWS_ACCESS_KEY')
-AWS_SECRET_KEY = environ.get('AWS_SECRET_KEY')
-AWS_BUCKET = environ.get('AWS_BUCKET', 'imgee-testing')
-AWS_FOLDER = 'test'
-
-MEDIA_DOMAIN = 'https://%s.s3.amazonaws.com' % AWS_BUCKET
-
-SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI = 'sqlite://'
-WTF_CSRF_ENABLED = False
-
-THUMBNAIL_SIZE = '75x75'
diff --git a/migrations/env.py b/migrations/env.py
index a3aa1031..9e70bcb7 100644
--- a/migrations/env.py
+++ b/migrations/env.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
-from __future__ import with_statement
+
 
 from logging.config import fileConfig
 import logging
diff --git a/migrations/versions/200442fae8bd_remove_size_in_tn.py b/migrations/versions/200442fae8bd_remove_size_in_tn.py
index 0a6acc00..3d10c5d6 100644
--- a/migrations/versions/200442fae8bd_remove_size_in_tn.py
+++ b/migrations/versions/200442fae8bd_remove_size_in_tn.py
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@
 
 def upgrade():
     ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
-    op.drop_column('thumbnail', u'size')
+    op.drop_column('thumbnail', 'size')
     ### end Alembic commands ###
 
 
 def downgrade():
     ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
     op.add_column(
-        'thumbnail', sa.Column(u'size', sa.VARCHAR(length=100), nullable=False)
+        'thumbnail', sa.Column('size', sa.VARCHAR(length=100), nullable=False)
     )
     ### end Alembic commands ###
diff --git a/migrations/versions/347ba3ac054f_update_image_attrs.py b/migrations/versions/347ba3ac054f_update_image_attrs.py
index d7289941..5715120f 100644
--- a/migrations/versions/347ba3ac054f_update_image_attrs.py
+++ b/migrations/versions/347ba3ac054f_update_image_attrs.py
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ def upgrade():
             img.width, img.height = get_width_height(gpath[0])
             img.size = os.path.getsize(gpath[0])
 
-            print 'updated attributes of %s\n' % img.title,  # NOQA
+            print('updated attributes of %s\n' % img.title, end=' ')  # NOQA
         else:
-            print 'local file not found for %s\n' % img.title,  # NOQA
+            print('local file not found for %s\n' % img.title, end=' ')  # NOQA
     session.commit()
 
 
diff --git a/migrations/versions/4b2844325813_related_names_for_th.py b/migrations/versions/4b2844325813_related_names_for_th.py
index 16c40145..1c801f49 100644
--- a/migrations/versions/4b2844325813_related_names_for_th.py
+++ b/migrations/versions/4b2844325813_related_names_for_th.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ def upgrade():
     ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
     op.alter_column(
         'thumbnail',
-        u'name',
+        'name',
         existing_type=sa.VARCHAR(length=32),
         type_=sa.Unicode(length=64),
         existing_nullable=False,
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ def downgrade():
     ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
     op.alter_column(
         'thumbnail',
-        u'name',
+        'name',
         existing_type=sa.Unicode(length=64),
         type_=sa.VARCHAR(length=32),
         existing_nullable=False,
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index d933cf7e..034ed5ac 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -7,9 +7,8 @@ Flask-SQLAlchemy==2.4.1
 psycopg2==2.8.4
 https://github.com/hasgeek/flask-lastuser/zipball/master
 https://github.com/jace/flask-alembic/archive/master.zip
-boto==2.49.0
+boto3==1.10.46
 redis==3.3.11
-xml4h==0.2.0
 python-magic==0.4.15
 defusedxml==0.6.0
 Flask-Migrate==2.5.2
diff --git a/runtests.sh b/runtests.sh
index 2e9cb98b..594fb3ab 100755
--- a/runtests.sh
+++ b/runtests.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 set -e
+export PYTHONIOENCODING="UTF-8"
 export FLASK_ENV="TESTING"
-coverage run `which nosetests` "$@"
+coverage run -m pytest "$@"
 coverage report -m
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 20b2b742..3bad47c0 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -30,12 +30,3 @@ sections = FUTURE, STDLIB, SQLALCHEMY, FLASK, THIRDPARTY, FIRSTPARTY, LOCALFOLDE
 # Bandit config for flake8-bandit. There's another copy in .pre-commit-config.yaml
 [bandit]
 exclude = tests, migrations, instance
-
-[nosetests]
-match=^test
-nocapture=1
-cover-package=imgee
-with-coverage=1
-cover-erase=1
-with-doctest=1
-where=tests
diff --git a/tests/fixtures.py b/tests/fixtures.py
index 8a759dc1..fed7823b 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures.py
+++ b/tests/fixtures.py
@@ -9,16 +9,16 @@
 
 class ImgeeTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     def get_test_user(self, name='testuser', uid=1):
-        u = User.query.filter_by(username=unicode(name)).first()
+        u = User.query.filter_by(username=name).first()
         if not u:
-            userid = ''.join(random.sample(string.letters, 22))
+            userid = ''.join(random.sample(string.ascii_letters, 22))
             u = User(
-                username=unicode(name),
-                userid=unicode(userid),
-                lastuser_token_scope=u'id email organizations',
-                lastuser_token_type=u'bearer',
-                lastuser_token=u'last-user-token',
-                fullname=unicode(name.capitalize()),
+                username=name,
+                userid=userid,
+                lastuser_token_scope='id email organizations',
+                lastuser_token_type='bearer',
+                lastuser_token='last-user-token',
+                fullname=name.capitalize(),
                 id=uid,
             )
             db.session.add(u)
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def setUp(self):
         app.testing = True
 
         db.create_all()
-        self.test_user_name = u'testuser'
+        self.test_user_name = 'testuser'
         test_user = self.get_test_user(name=self.test_user_name)
         self.client = app.test_client()
         with self.client.session_transaction() as session:
diff --git a/tests/test_labels.py b/tests/test_labels.py
index 567ef0a1..5b1cd7c5 100644
--- a/tests/test_labels.py
+++ b/tests/test_labels.py
@@ -14,24 +14,24 @@ class LabelTestCase(ImgeeTestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         super(LabelTestCase, self).setUp()
         self.img_id = None
-        self.test_files = ['../imgee/static/img/imgee.png']
+        self.test_files = ['imgee/static/img/imgee.png']
         self.test_labels = ['logos', 'banners', 'profile-photos']
 
     def upload(self, path=None):
         profile = self.get_test_profile()
         sf = None
-        with open(path or self.test_files[0]) as fp:
+        with open(path or self.test_files[0], 'rb') as fp:
             fs = FileStorage(fp)
             title, sf = save_file(fs, profile)
         return sf
 
     def test_empty(self):
-        self.assertEquals(len(Label.query.all()), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(Label.query.all()), 0)
 
     def test_create_label(self):
         label_title = self.test_labels[0]
         utils_save_label(label_title, self.get_test_profile())
-        self.assertEquals(len(Label.query.filter_by(title=label_title).all()), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(len(Label.query.filter_by(title=label_title).all()), 1)
 
     def test_add_remove_label(self):
         # upload image
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ def test_add_remove_label(self):
         self.assertEqual(total_saved, 1)
 
         img = StoredFile.query.get(img_id)
-        self.assertEquals(len(img.labels), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(len(img.labels), 1)
 
         self.assertEqual(len(self.get_test_profile().labels), 1)
 
         # remove the label from image
         total_saved, msg = utils_save_labels([], img, self.get_test_profile())
         img = StoredFile.query.get(img_id)
-        self.assertEquals(len(img.labels), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(img.labels), 0)
 
     def test_delete_label(self):
         label_title = self.test_labels[0]
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def test_delete_label(self):
         utils_save_label(label_title, self.get_test_profile())
         # delete label
         utils_delete_label(label_title)
-        self.assertEquals(len(Label.query.filter_by(title=label_title).all()), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(Label.query.filter_by(title=label_title).all()), 0)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/tests/test_upload.py b/tests/test_upload.py
index b87fe53c..1730dfee 100644
--- a/tests/test_upload.py
+++ b/tests/test_upload.py
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ def setUp(self):
         super(UploadTestCase, self).setUp()
         self.img_id = None
         self.test_files = [
-            '../imgee/static/img/imgee.png',
-            '../imgee/static/img/imgee.jpeg',
-            '../imgee/static/img/imgee.svg',
-            '../imgee/static/img/loading.gif',
+            'imgee/static/img/imgee.png',
+            'imgee/static/img/imgee.jpeg',
+            'imgee/static/img/imgee.svg',
+            'imgee/static/img/loading.gif',
         ]
         self.test_labels = ['logos', 'banners', 'profile-photos']
         self.files = self.upload_all()
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def upload(self, path=None):
         profile = self.get_test_profile()
         sf = None
         if path:
-            with open(path) as fp:
+            with open(path, 'rb') as fp:
                 fs = FileStorage(fp)
                 title, sf = save_file(fs, profile)
             return sf
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ def test_save_file(self):
         with app.test_request_context('/'):
             for test_file in self.files:
                 resp = requests.get(get_image_url(test_file))
-                self.assertEquals(resp.status_code, 200)
-                self.assertEquals(
+                self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+                self.assertEqual(
                     resp.headers.get('Content-Type', ''), test_file.mimetype
                 )
 
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ def test_resize(self):
                         size=app.config.get('THUMBNAIL_SIZE'),
                     )
                 )
-                self.assertEquals(resp.status_code, 301)
-                self.assertEquals(
+                self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 301)
+                self.assertEqual(
                     resp.headers.get('Location'), get_thumbnail_url(test_file)
                 )
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ def test_delete_file(self):
         for test_file in self.files:
             with app.test_request_context('/'):
                 resp = requests.get(get_image_url(test_file))
-                self.assertEquals(
+                self.assertEqual(
                     resp.status_code, 403
                 )  # S3 throws 403 for non existing files