diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift.app.src b/lib/erl/src/thrift.app.src
index 28b8cb5..1a23f0d 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift.app.src
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift.app.src
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
     thrift_http_transport,
     thrift_json_parser,
     thrift_json_protocol,
+    thrift_membuffer_transport,
     thrift_memory_buffer,
     thrift_processor,
     thrift_protocol,
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_buffered_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_buffered_transport.erl
index d4d614e..e9d3fff 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_buffered_transport.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_buffered_transport.erl
@@ -21,57 +21,78 @@
 
 -behaviour(thrift_transport).
 
-%% API
--export([new/1, new_transport_factory/1]).
+%% constructor
+-export([new/1]).
+%% protocol callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+%% legacy api
+-export([new_transport_factory/1]).
 
-%% thrift_transport callbacks
--export([write/2, read/2, flush/1, close/1]).
 
--record(buffered_transport, {wrapped, % a thrift_transport
-                             write_buffer % iolist()
-                            }).
--type state() :: #buffered_transport{}.
+-record(t_buffered, {
+  wrapped,
+  write_buffer
+}).
+
+-type state() :: #t_buffered{}.
+
+
+-spec new(Transport::thrift_transport:t_transport()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new(Wrapped) ->
+  State = #t_buffered{
+    wrapped = Wrapped,
+    write_buffer = []
+  },
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+
+
 -include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
 
 
-new(WrappedTransport) ->
-    State = #buffered_transport{wrapped = WrappedTransport,
-                                write_buffer = []},
-    thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+%% reads data through from the wrapped transport
+read(State = #t_buffered{wrapped = Wrapped}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  {NewState, Response} = thrift_transport:read(Wrapped, Len),
+  {State#t_buffered{wrapped = NewState}, Response}.
 
 
-%% Writes data into the buffer
-write(State = #buffered_transport{write_buffer = WBuf}, Data) ->
-    {State#buffered_transport{write_buffer = [WBuf, Data]}, ok}.
+%% reads data through from the wrapped transport
+read_exact(State = #t_buffered{wrapped = Wrapped}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  {NewState, Response} = thrift_transport:read_exact(Wrapped, Len),
+  {State#t_buffered{wrapped = NewState}, Response}.
 
-%% Flushes the buffer through to the wrapped transport
-flush(State = #buffered_transport{write_buffer = WBuf,
-                                  wrapped = Wrapped0}) ->
-    {Wrapped1, Response} = thrift_transport:write(Wrapped0, WBuf),
-    {Wrapped2, _} = thrift_transport:flush(Wrapped1),
-    NewState = State#buffered_transport{write_buffer = [],
-                                        wrapped = Wrapped2},
-    {NewState, Response}.
 
-%% Closes the transport and the wrapped transport
-close(State = #buffered_transport{wrapped = Wrapped0}) ->
-    {Wrapped1, Result} = thrift_transport:close(Wrapped0),
-    NewState = State#buffered_transport{wrapped = Wrapped1},
-    {NewState, Result}.
+write(State = #t_buffered{write_buffer = Buffer}, Data) ->
+  {State#t_buffered{write_buffer = [Buffer, Data]}, ok}.
 
-%% Reads data through from the wrapped transport
-read(State = #buffered_transport{wrapped = Wrapped0}, Len) when is_integer(Len) ->
-    {Wrapped1, Response} = thrift_transport:read(Wrapped0, Len),
-    NewState = State#buffered_transport{wrapped = Wrapped1},
-    {NewState, Response}.
+
+flush(State = #t_buffered{wrapped = Wrapped, write_buffer = Buffer}) ->
+  case iolist_size(Buffer) of
+    %% if write buffer is empty, do nothing
+    0 -> {State, ok};
+    _ ->
+      {Written, Response} = thrift_transport:write(Wrapped, Buffer),
+      {Flushed, ok} = thrift_transport:flush(Written),
+      {State#t_buffered{wrapped = Flushed, write_buffer = []}, Response}
+  end.
+
+
+close(State = #t_buffered{wrapped = Wrapped}) ->
+  {Closed, Result} = thrift_transport:close(Wrapped),
+  {State#t_buffered{wrapped = Closed}, Result}.
+
 
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
 %%% Internal functions
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
 %%%% FACTORY GENERATION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
 new_transport_factory(WrapFactory) ->
-    F = fun() ->
-                {ok, Wrapped} = WrapFactory(),
-                new(Wrapped)
-        end,
-    {ok, F}.
+  F = fun() ->
+    {ok, Wrapped} = WrapFactory(),
+    new(Wrapped)
+  end,
+  {ok, F}.
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_file_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_file_transport.erl
index ba3aa89..071152b 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_file_transport.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_file_transport.erl
@@ -21,69 +21,95 @@
 
 -behaviour(thrift_transport).
 
--export([new_reader/1,
-         new/1,
-         new/2,
-         write/2, read/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+%% constructors
+-export([new/1, new/2]).
+%% protocol callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+%% legacy api
+-export([new_reader/1]).
 
--record(t_file_transport, {device,
-                           should_close = true,
-                           mode = write}).
--type state() :: #t_file_transport{}.
--include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
 
-%%%% CONSTRUCTION   %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
+-record(t_file, {
+  device,
+  should_close = true,
+  mode = write
+}).
 
-new_reader(Filename) ->
-    case file:open(Filename, [read, binary, {read_ahead, 1024*1024}]) of
-        {ok, IODevice} ->
-            new(IODevice, [{should_close, true}, {mode, read}]);
-        Error -> Error
-    end.
+-type state() :: #t_file{}.
 
-new(Device) ->
-    new(Device, []).
 
-%% Device :: io_device()
-%%
+-spec new(Device::file:io_device()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new(Device) -> new(Device, []).
+
+-spec new(Device::file:io_device(), Opts::list()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
 %% Device should be opened in raw and binary mode.
 new(Device, Opts) when is_list(Opts) ->
-    State = parse_opts(Opts, #t_file_transport{device = Device}),
-    thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+  State = parse_opts(Opts, #t_file{device = Device}),
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
 
 
-%% Parse options
-parse_opts([{should_close, Bool} | Rest], State) when is_boolean(Bool) ->
-    parse_opts(Rest, State#t_file_transport{should_close = Bool});
-parse_opts([{mode, Mode} | Rest], State)
-  when Mode =:= write;
-       Mode =:= read ->
-    parse_opts(Rest, State#t_file_transport{mode = Mode});
+parse_opts([{should_close, Bool}|Rest], State)
+when is_boolean(Bool) ->
+  parse_opts(Rest, State#t_file{should_close = Bool});
+parse_opts([{mode, Mode}|Rest], State)
+when Mode =:= write; Mode =:= read ->
+  parse_opts(Rest, State#t_file{mode = Mode});
 parse_opts([], State) ->
-     State.
+  State.
 
 
-%%%% TRANSPORT IMPL %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-
-write(This = #t_file_transport{device = Device, mode = write}, Data) ->
-    {This, file:write(Device, Data)};
-write(This, _D) ->
-    {This, {error, read_mode}}.
+-include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
 
 
-read(This = #t_file_transport{device = Device, mode = read}, Len)
-  when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
-    {This, file:read(Device, Len)};
-read(This, _D) ->
-    {This, {error, read_mode}}.
+read(State = #t_file{device = Device, mode = read}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  case file:read(Device, Len) of
+    eof -> {State, {error, eof}};
+    {ok, Result} -> {State, {ok, iolist_to_binary(Result)}}
+  end;
+read(State, _) ->
+  {State, {error, write_mode}}.
 
-flush(This = #t_file_transport{device = Device, mode = write}) ->
-    {This, file:sync(Device)}.
 
-close(This = #t_file_transport{device = Device, should_close = SC}) ->
-    case SC of
-        true ->
-            {This, file:close(Device)};
-        false ->
-            {This, ok}
-    end.
+read_exact(State = #t_file{device = Device, mode = read}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  case file:read(Device, Len) of
+    eof -> {State, {error, eof}};
+    {ok, Result} ->
+      case iolist_size(Result) of
+        X when X < Len -> {State, {error, eof}};
+        _ -> {State, {ok, iolist_to_binary(Result)}}
+      end
+  end;
+read_exact(State, _) ->
+  {State, {error, write_mode}}.
+
+
+write(State = #t_file{device = Device, mode = write}, Data) ->
+  {State, file:write(Device, Data)};
+write(State, _) ->
+  {State, {error, read_mode}}.
+
+
+flush(State = #t_file{device = Device, mode = write}) ->
+  {State, file:sync(Device)}.
+
+
+close(State = #t_file{device = Device, should_close = SC}) ->
+  case SC of
+    true -> {State, file:close(Device)};
+    false -> {State, ok}
+  end.
+
+
+%% legacy api. left for compatibility
+new_reader(Filename) ->
+  case file:open(Filename, [read, binary, {read_ahead, 1024*1024}]) of
+    {ok, IODevice} -> new(IODevice, [{should_close, true}, {mode, read}]);
+    Error -> Error
+  end.
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_framed_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_framed_transport.erl
index eca3cbe..715f090 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_framed_transport.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_framed_transport.erl
@@ -21,83 +21,105 @@
 
 -behaviour(thrift_transport).
 
-%% API
+%% constructor
 -export([new/1]).
+%% protocol callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
 
-%% thrift_transport callbacks
--export([write/2, read/2, flush/1, close/1]).
 
--record(framed_transport, {wrapped, % a thrift_transport
-                           read_buffer, % iolist()
-                           write_buffer % iolist()
-                          }).
--type state() :: #framed_transport{}.
+-record(t_framed, {
+  wrapped,
+  read_buffer,
+  write_buffer
+}).
+
+-type state() :: #t_framed{}.
+
+
+-spec new(Transport::thrift_transport:t_transport()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new(Wrapped) ->
+  State = #t_framed{
+    wrapped = Wrapped,
+    read_buffer = [],
+    write_buffer = []
+  },
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+
+
 -include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
 
-new(WrappedTransport) ->
-    State = #framed_transport{wrapped = WrappedTransport,
-                              read_buffer = [],
-                              write_buffer = []},
-    thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
 
-%% Writes data into the buffer
-write(State = #framed_transport{write_buffer = WBuf}, Data) ->
-    {State#framed_transport{write_buffer = [WBuf, Data]}, ok}.
+read(State = #t_framed{wrapped = Wrapped, read_buffer = Buffer}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buffer),
+  case Binary of
+    <<>> when Len > 0 ->
+      case next_frame(Wrapped) of
+        {NewState, {ok, Frame}} ->
+          NewBinary = iolist_to_binary([Binary, Frame]),
+          Give = min(iolist_size(NewBinary), Len),
+          {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(NewBinary, Give),
+          {State#t_framed{wrapped = NewState, read_buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}};
+        Error -> Error
+      end;
+    %% read of zero bytes
+    <<>> -> {State, {ok, <<>>}};
+    %% read buffer is nonempty
+    _ ->
+      Give = min(iolist_size(Binary), Len),
+      {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Give),
+      {State#t_framed{read_buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}}
+  end.
 
-%% Flushes the buffer through to the wrapped transport
-flush(State0 = #framed_transport{write_buffer = Buffer,
-                                   wrapped = Wrapped0}) ->
-    FrameLen = iolist_size(Buffer),
-    Data     = [<<FrameLen:32/integer-signed-big>>, Buffer],
 
-    {Wrapped1, Response} = thrift_transport:write(Wrapped0, Data),
+read_exact(State = #t_framed{wrapped = Wrapped, read_buffer = Buffer}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buffer),
+  case iolist_size(Binary) of
+    %% read buffer is larger than requested read size
+    X when X >= Len ->
+      {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Len),
+      {State#t_framed{read_buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}};
+    %% read buffer is insufficient for requested read size
+    _ ->
+      case next_frame(Wrapped) of
+        {NewState, {ok, Frame}} ->
+          read_exact(
+            State#t_framed{wrapped = NewState, read_buffer = [Buffer, Frame]},
+            Len
+          );
+        {NewState, Error} ->
+          {State#t_framed{wrapped = NewState}, Error}
+      end
+  end.
 
-    {Wrapped2, _} = thrift_transport:flush(Wrapped1),
+next_frame(Transport) ->
+  case thrift_transport:read_exact(Transport, 4) of
+    {NewState, {ok, <<FrameLength:32/integer-signed-big>>}} ->
+      thrift_transport:read_exact(NewState, FrameLength);
+    Error -> Error
+  end.
 
-    State1 = State0#framed_transport{wrapped = Wrapped2, write_buffer = []},
-    {State1, Response}.
 
-%% Closes the transport and the wrapped transport
-close(State = #framed_transport{wrapped = Wrapped0}) ->
-    {Wrapped1, Result} = thrift_transport:close(Wrapped0),
-    NewState = State#framed_transport{wrapped = Wrapped1},
-    {NewState, Result}.
+write(State = #t_framed{write_buffer = Buffer}, Data) ->
+  {State#t_framed{write_buffer = [Buffer, Data]}, ok}.
 
-%% Reads data through from the wrapped transport
-read(State0 = #framed_transport{wrapped = Wrapped0, read_buffer = RBuf},
-     Len) when is_integer(Len) ->
-    {Wrapped1, {RBuf1, RBuf1Size}} =
-        %% if the read buffer is empty, read another frame
-        %% otherwise, just read from what's left in the buffer
-        case iolist_size(RBuf) of
-            0 ->
-                %% read the frame length
-                case thrift_transport:read(Wrapped0, 4) of
-                  {WrappedS1,
-                    {ok, <<FrameLen:32/integer-signed-big, _/binary>>}} ->
-                    %% then read the data
-                    case thrift_transport:read(WrappedS1, FrameLen) of
-                      {WrappedS2, {ok, Bin}} ->
-                        {WrappedS2, {Bin, erlang:byte_size(Bin)}};
-                      {WrappedS2, {error, Reason1}} ->
-                        {WrappedS2, {error, Reason1}}
-                    end;
-                  {WrappedS1, {error, Reason2}} ->
-                    {WrappedS1, {error, Reason2}}
-                end;
-            Sz ->
-                {Wrapped0, {RBuf, Sz}}
-        end,
 
-    %% pull off Give bytes, return them to the user, leave the rest in the buffer
-    case RBuf1 of
-      error ->
-        { State0#framed_transport {wrapped = Wrapped1, read_buffer = [] },
-          {RBuf1, RBuf1Size} };
-      _ ->
-        Give = min(RBuf1Size, Len),
-        <<Data:Give/binary, RBuf2/binary>> = iolist_to_binary(RBuf1),
+flush(State = #t_framed{write_buffer = Buffer, wrapped = Wrapped}) ->
+  case iolist_size(Buffer) of
+    %% if write buffer is empty, do nothing
+    0 -> {State, ok};
+    FrameLen ->
+      Data = [<<FrameLen:32/integer-signed-big>>, Buffer],
+      {Written, Response} = thrift_transport:write(Wrapped, Data),
+      {Flushed, ok} = thrift_transport:flush(Written),
+      {State#t_framed{wrapped = Flushed, write_buffer = []}, Response}
+  end.
 
-        { State0#framed_transport{wrapped = Wrapped1, read_buffer=RBuf2},
-          {ok, Data} }
-    end.
+
+close(State = #t_framed{wrapped = Wrapped}) ->
+  {Closed, Result} = thrift_transport:close(Wrapped),
+  {State#t_framed{wrapped = Closed}, Result}.
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_membuffer_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_membuffer_transport.erl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be9acb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_membuffer_transport.erl
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+%%
+%% Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+%% or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file
+%% distributed with this work for additional information
+%% regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file
+%% to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+%% "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+%% with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
+%%
+%%   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+%%
+%% Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+%% software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+%% "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+%% KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the
+%% specific language governing permissions and limitations
+%% under the License.
+%%
+
+-module(thrift_membuffer_transport).
+
+-behaviour(thrift_transport).
+
+%% constructors
+-export([new/0, new/1]).
+%% protocol callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+
+
+-record(t_membuffer, {
+  buffer = []
+}).
+
+-type state() :: #t_membuffer{}.
+
+
+-spec new() -> thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new() -> new([]).
+
+-spec new(Buf::iodata()) -> thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new(Buf) when is_list(Buf) ->
+  State = #t_membuffer{buffer = Buf},
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State);
+new(Buf) when is_binary(Buf) ->
+  State = #t_membuffer{buffer = [Buf]},
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+
+
+-include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
+
+
+read(State = #t_membuffer{buffer = Buf}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buf),
+  Give = min(iolist_size(Binary), Len),
+  {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Give),
+  {State#t_membuffer{buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}}.
+
+
+read_exact(State = #t_membuffer{buffer = Buf}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buf),
+  case iolist_size(Binary) of
+    X when X >= Len ->
+      {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Len),
+      {State#t_membuffer{buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}};
+    _ ->
+      {State, {error, eof}}
+  end.
+
+
+write(State = #t_membuffer{buffer = Buf}, Data)
+when is_list(Data); is_binary(Data) ->
+  {State#t_membuffer{buffer = [Buf, Data]}, ok}.
+
+
+flush(State) -> {State, ok}.
+
+
+close(State) -> {State, ok}.
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_memory_buffer.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_memory_buffer.erl
index 53abbc4..6a59ea5 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_memory_buffer.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_memory_buffer.erl
@@ -21,42 +21,27 @@
 
 -behaviour(thrift_transport).
 
-%% API
--export([new/0, new/1, new_transport_factory/0]).
+%% constructors
+-export([new/0, new/1]).
+%% protocol callbacks
+-export([read/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+%% legacy api
+-export([new_transport_factory/0]).
 
-%% thrift_transport callbacks
--export([write/2, read/2, flush/1, close/1]).
 
--record(memory_buffer, {buffer}).
--type state() :: #memory_buffer{}.
--include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
+%% wrapper around thrift_membuffer_transport for legacy reasons
 
-new() ->
-    State = #memory_buffer{buffer = []},
-    thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+new() -> thrift_membuffer_transport:new().
 
-new (Buf) when is_list (Buf) ->
-  State = #memory_buffer{buffer = Buf},
-  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State);
-new (Buf) ->
-  State = #memory_buffer{buffer = [Buf]},
-  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
+new(State) -> thrift_membuffer_transport:new(State).
 
-new_transport_factory() ->
-    {ok, fun() -> new() end}.
+new_transport_factory() -> {ok, fun() -> new() end}.
 
-%% Writes data into the buffer
-write(State = #memory_buffer{buffer = Buf}, Data) ->
-    {State#memory_buffer{buffer = [Buf, Data]}, ok}.
+write(State, Data) -> thrift_membuffer_transport:write(State, Data).
 
-flush(State = #memory_buffer {buffer = Buf}) ->
-    {State#memory_buffer{buffer = []}, Buf}.
+read(State, Data) -> thrift_membuffer_transport:read(State, Data).
 
-close(State) ->
-    {State, ok}.
+flush(State) -> thrift_membuffer_transport:flush(State).
 
-read(State = #memory_buffer{buffer = Buf}, Len) when is_integer(Len) ->
-    Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buf),
-    Give = min(iolist_size(Binary), Len),
-    {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Give),
-    {State#memory_buffer{buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}}.
+close(State) -> thrift_membuffer_transport:close(State).
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_socket_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_socket_transport.erl
index fec0241..fa10ed0 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_socket_transport.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_socket_transport.erl
@@ -21,104 +21,156 @@
 
 -behaviour(thrift_transport).
 
--export([new/1,
-         new/2,
-         write/2, read/2, flush/1, close/1,
+%% constructors
+-export([new/1, new/2]).
+%% transport callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
+%% legacy api
+-export([new_transport_factory/3]).
 
-         new_transport_factory/3]).
 
--record(data, {socket,
-               recv_timeout=infinity}).
--type state() :: #data{}.
--include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
+-record(t_socket, {
+  socket,
+  recv_timeout=60000,
+  buffer = []
+}).
 
-new(Socket) ->
-    new(Socket, []).
+-type state() :: #t_socket{}.
+
+
+-spec new(Socket::any()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
+
+new(Socket) -> new(Socket, []).
+
+-spec new(Socket::any(), Opts::list()) ->
+  thrift_transport:t_transport().
 
 new(Socket, Opts) when is_list(Opts) ->
-    State =
-        case lists:keysearch(recv_timeout, 1, Opts) of
-            {value, {recv_timeout, Timeout}}
-            when is_integer(Timeout), Timeout > 0 ->
-                #data{socket=Socket, recv_timeout=Timeout};
-            _ ->
-                #data{socket=Socket}
-        end,
-    thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
-
-%% Data :: iolist()
-write(This = #data{socket = Socket}, Data) ->
-    {This, gen_tcp:send(Socket, Data)}.
-
-read(This = #data{socket=Socket, recv_timeout=Timeout}, Len)
-  when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
-    case gen_tcp:recv(Socket, Len, Timeout) of
-        Err = {error, timeout} ->
-            gen_tcp:close(Socket),
-            {This, Err};
-        Data ->
-            {This, Data}
-    end.
-
-%% We can't really flush - everything is flushed when we write
-flush(This) ->
-    {This, ok}.
-
-close(This = #data{socket = Socket}) ->
-    {This, gen_tcp:close(Socket)}.
+  State = parse_opts(Opts, #t_socket{socket = Socket}),
+  thrift_transport:new(?MODULE, State).
 
 
-%%%% FACTORY GENERATION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
+parse_opts([{recv_timeout, Timeout}|Rest], State)
+when is_integer(Timeout), Timeout > 0 ->
+  parse_opts(Rest, State#t_socket{recv_timeout = Timeout});
+parse_opts([{recv_timeout, infinity}|Rest], State) ->
+  parse_opts(Rest, State#t_socket{recv_timeout = infinity});
+parse_opts([], State) ->
+  State.
 
 
+-include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
+
+
+read(State = #t_socket{buffer = Buf}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buf),
+  case iolist_size(Binary) of
+    X when X >= Len ->
+      {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Len),
+      {State#t_socket{buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}};
+    _ -> recv(State, Len)
+  end.
+
+recv(State = #t_socket{socket = Socket, buffer = Buf}, Len) ->
+  case gen_tcp:recv(Socket, 0, State#t_socket.recv_timeout) of
+    {error, Error} ->
+      gen_tcp:close(Socket),
+      {State, {error, Error}};
+    {ok, Data} ->
+      Binary = iolist_to_binary([Buf, Data]),
+      Give = min(iolist_size(Binary), Len),
+      {Result, Remaining} = split_binary(Binary, Give),
+      {State#t_socket{buffer = Remaining}, {ok, Result}}
+  end.
+
+
+read_exact(State = #t_socket{buffer = Buf}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  Binary = iolist_to_binary(Buf),
+  case iolist_size(Binary) of
+    X when X >= Len -> read(State, Len);
+    X ->
+      case gen_tcp:recv(State#t_socket.socket, Len - X, State#t_socket.recv_timeout) of
+        {error, Error} ->
+          gen_tcp:close(State#t_socket.socket),
+          {State, {error, Error}};
+        {ok, Data} ->
+          {State#t_socket{buffer = []}, {ok, <<Binary/binary, Data/binary>>}}
+      end
+  end.
+
+
+write(State = #t_socket{socket = Socket}, Data) ->
+  case gen_tcp:send(Socket, Data) of
+    {error, Error} ->
+      gen_tcp:close(Socket),
+      {State, {error, Error}};
+    ok -> {State, ok}
+  end.
+
+
+flush(State) ->
+  {State#t_socket{buffer = []}, ok}.
+
+
+close(State = #t_socket{socket = Socket}) ->
+  {State, gen_tcp:close(Socket)}.
+
+
+%% legacy api. left for compatibility
+
 %% The following "local" record is filled in by parse_factory_options/2
 %% below. These options can be passed to new_protocol_factory/3 in a
 %% proplists-style option list. They're parsed like this so it is an O(n)
 %% operation instead of O(n^2)
--record(factory_opts, {connect_timeout = infinity,
-                       sockopts = [],
-                       framed = false}).
+-record(factory_opts, {
+  connect_timeout = infinity,
+  sockopts = [],
+  framed = false
+}).
 
-parse_factory_options([], Opts) ->
-    Opts;
-parse_factory_options([{framed, Bool} | Rest], Opts) when is_boolean(Bool) ->
-    parse_factory_options(Rest, Opts#factory_opts{framed=Bool});
-parse_factory_options([{sockopts, OptList} | Rest], Opts) when is_list(OptList) ->
-    parse_factory_options(Rest, Opts#factory_opts{sockopts=OptList});
-parse_factory_options([{connect_timeout, TO} | Rest], Opts) when TO =:= infinity; is_integer(TO) ->
-    parse_factory_options(Rest, Opts#factory_opts{connect_timeout=TO});
-parse_factory_options([{recv_timeout, TO} | Rest], Opts) when TO =:= infinity; is_integer(TO) ->
-    parse_factory_options(Rest, Opts).
+parse_factory_options([], FactoryOpts, TransOpts) -> {FactoryOpts, TransOpts};
+parse_factory_options([{framed, Bool}|Rest], FactoryOpts, TransOpts)
+when is_boolean(Bool) ->
+  parse_factory_options(Rest, FactoryOpts#factory_opts{framed = Bool}, TransOpts);
+parse_factory_options([{sockopts, OptList}|Rest], FactoryOpts, TransOpts)
+when is_list(OptList) ->
+  parse_factory_options(Rest, FactoryOpts#factory_opts{sockopts = OptList}, TransOpts);
+parse_factory_options([{connect_timeout, TO}|Rest], FactoryOpts, TransOpts)
+when TO =:= infinity; is_integer(TO) ->
+  parse_factory_options(Rest, FactoryOpts#factory_opts{connect_timeout = TO}, TransOpts);
+parse_factory_options([{recv_timeout, TO}|Rest], FactoryOpts, TransOpts)
+when TO =:= infinity; is_integer(TO) ->
+  parse_factory_options(Rest, FactoryOpts, [{recv_timeout, TO}] ++ TransOpts).
 
 
-%%
 %% Generates a "transport factory" function - a fun which returns a thrift_transport()
 %% instance.
-%% This can be passed into a protocol factory to generate a connection to a
+%% State can be passed into a protocol factory to generate a connection to a
 %% thrift server over a socket.
-%%
 new_transport_factory(Host, Port, Options) ->
-    ParsedOpts = parse_factory_options(Options, #factory_opts{}),
-
-    F = fun() ->
-                SockOpts = [binary,
-                            {packet, 0},
-                            {active, false},
-                            {nodelay, true} |
-                            ParsedOpts#factory_opts.sockopts],
-                case catch gen_tcp:connect(Host, Port, SockOpts,
-                                           ParsedOpts#factory_opts.connect_timeout) of
-                    {ok, Sock} ->
-                        {ok, Transport} =
-                          thrift_socket_transport:new(Sock, Options),
-                        {ok, BufTransport} =
-                            case ParsedOpts#factory_opts.framed of
-                                true  -> thrift_framed_transport:new(Transport);
-                                false -> thrift_buffered_transport:new(Transport)
-                            end,
-                        {ok, BufTransport};
-                    Error  ->
-                        Error
-                end
+  {FactoryOpts, TransOpts} = parse_factory_options(Options, #factory_opts{}, []),
+  {ok, fun() -> SockOpts = [binary,
+      {packet, 0},
+      {active, false},
+      {nodelay, true}|FactoryOpts#factory_opts.sockopts
+    ],
+    case catch gen_tcp:connect(
+      Host,
+      Port,
+      SockOpts,
+      FactoryOpts#factory_opts.connect_timeout
+    ) of
+      {ok, Sock} ->
+        {ok, Transport} = thrift_socket_transport:new(Sock, TransOpts),
+        {ok, BufTransport} = case FactoryOpts#factory_opts.framed of
+          true  -> thrift_framed_transport:new(Transport);
+          false -> thrift_buffered_transport:new(Transport)
         end,
-    {ok, F}.
+        {ok, BufTransport};
+      Error  -> Error
+    end
+  end}.
+
diff --git a/lib/erl/src/thrift_transport.erl b/lib/erl/src/thrift_transport.erl
index 39f8c05..0fdf970 100644
--- a/lib/erl/src/thrift_transport.erl
+++ b/lib/erl/src/thrift_transport.erl
@@ -20,59 +20,102 @@
 -module(thrift_transport).
 
 -export([behaviour_info/1]).
+%% constructors
+-export([new/1, new/2]).
+%% transport callbacks
+-export([read/2, read_exact/2, write/2, flush/1, close/1]).
 
--export([new/2,
-         write/2,
-         read/2,
-         flush/1,
-         close/1
-        ]).
+-export_type([t_transport/0]).
+
 
 behaviour_info(callbacks) ->
-    [{read, 2},
-     {write, 2},
-     {flush, 1},
-     {close, 1}
-    ].
+  [{read, 2}, {write, 2}, {flush, 1}, {close, 1}].
 
--record(transport, {module, data}).
+
+-record(t_transport, {
+  module,
+  state
+}).
+
+-type state() :: #t_transport{}.
+-type t_transport() :: #t_transport{}.
+
 
 -ifdef(transport_wrapper_module).
 -define(debug_wrap(Transport),
-        case Transport#transport.module of
-            ?transport_wrapper_module ->
-                Transport;
-            _Else ->
-                {ok, Result} = ?transport_wrapper_module:new(Transport),
-                Result
-        end).
+  case Transport#t_transport.module of
+    ?transport_wrapper_module -> Transport;
+    _Else ->
+      {ok, Result} = ?transport_wrapper_module:new(Transport),
+      Result
+  end
+).
 -else.
 -define(debug_wrap(Transport), Transport).
 -endif.
 
-new(Module, Data) when is_atom(Module) ->
-    Transport0 = #transport{module = Module, data = Data},
-    Transport1 = ?debug_wrap(Transport0),
-    {ok, Transport1}.
 
--spec write(#transport{}, iolist() | binary()) -> {#transport{}, ok | {error, _Reason}}.
-write(Transport, Data) ->
-    Module = Transport#transport.module,
-    {NewTransData, Result} = Module:write(Transport#transport.data, Data),
-    {Transport#transport{data = NewTransData}, Result}.
+-type wrappable() ::
+  binary() |
+  list() |
+  {membuffer, binary() | list()} |
+  {tcp, port()} |
+  {tcp, port(), list()} |
+  {file, file:io_device()} |
+  {file, file:io_device(), list()} |
+  {file, file:filename()} |
+  {file, file:filename(), list()}.
 
--spec read(#transport{}, non_neg_integer()) -> {#transport{}, {ok, binary()} | {error, _Reason}}.
-read(Transport, Len) when is_integer(Len) ->
-    Module = Transport#transport.module,
-    {NewTransData, Result} = Module:read(Transport#transport.data, Len),
-    {Transport#transport{data = NewTransData}, Result}.
+-spec new(wrappable()) -> {ok, #t_transport{}}.
 
--spec flush(#transport{}) -> {#transport{}, ok | {error, _Reason}}.
-flush(Transport = #transport{module = Module, data = Data}) ->
-    {NewTransData, Result} = Module:flush(Data),
-    {Transport#transport{data = NewTransData}, Result}.
+new({membuffer, Membuffer}) when is_binary(Membuffer); is_list(Membuffer) ->
+  thrift_membuffer_transport:new(Membuffer);
+new({membuffer, Membuffer, []}) when is_binary(Membuffer); is_list(Membuffer) ->
+  thrift_membuffer_transport:new(Membuffer);
+new({tcp, Socket}) when is_port(Socket) ->
+  new({tcp, Socket, []});
+new({tcp, Socket, Opts}) when is_port(Socket) ->
+  thrift_socket_transport:new(Socket, Opts);
+new({file, Filename}) when is_list(Filename); is_binary(Filename) ->
+  new({file, Filename, []});
+new({file, Filename, Opts}) when is_list(Filename); is_binary(Filename) ->
+  {ok, File} = file:open(Filename, [raw, binary]),
+  new({file, File, Opts});
+new({file, File, Opts}) ->
+  thrift_file_transport:new(File, Opts).
 
--spec close(#transport{}) -> {#transport{}, ok | {error, _Reason}}.
-close(Transport = #transport{module = Module, data = Data}) ->
-    {NewTransData, Result} = Module:close(Data),
-    {Transport#transport{data = NewTransData}, Result}.
+-spec new(Module::module(), State::any()) -> {ok, #t_transport{}}.
+
+new(Module, State) when is_atom(Module) ->
+  {ok, ?debug_wrap(#t_transport{module = Module, state = State})}.
+
+
+-include("thrift_transport_behaviour.hrl").
+
+
+read(Transport = #t_transport{module = Module}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  {NewState, Result} = Module:read(Transport#t_transport.state, Len),
+  {Transport#t_transport{state = NewState}, Result}.
+
+
+read_exact(Transport = #t_transport{module = Module}, Len)
+when is_integer(Len), Len >= 0 ->
+  {NewState, Result} = Module:read_exact(Transport#t_transport.state, Len),
+  {Transport#t_transport{state = NewState}, Result}.
+
+
+write(Transport = #t_transport{module = Module}, Data) ->
+  {NewState, Result} = Module:write(Transport#t_transport.state, Data),
+  {Transport#t_transport{state = NewState}, Result}.
+
+
+flush(Transport = #t_transport{module = Module}) ->
+  {NewState, Result} = Module:flush(Transport#t_transport.state),
+  {Transport#t_transport{state = NewState}, Result}.
+
+
+close(Transport = #t_transport{module = Module}) ->
+  {NewState, Result} = Module:close(Transport#t_transport.state),
+  {Transport#t_transport{state = NewState}, Result}.
+