Endianness

Endianness refers to the order in which bytes are arranged within a larger data unit, like a number, in a computer's memory. In "big-endian" systems, the most significant byte (the "big end") is stored first, at the lowest memory address. In "little-endian" systems, the least significant byte is stored first. This difference affects how data is read and interpreted across different computers or systems, which is important for data transfer, file storage, and communication between diverse hardware. Understanding endianness helps ensure data is correctly understood regardless of the underlying architecture.