--- /dev/null
+++ squashfs-tools/_endian.h
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#ifndef SQUASHFS_ENDIAN_H
+#define SQUASHFS_ENDIAN_H
+
+#define SQUASHFS4_LE 0
+#define SQUASHFS4_BE 1
+
+#ifndef linux
+#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
+#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
+#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
+#else
+#include <endian.h>
+#endif
+
+#if   defined(TARGET_FORMAT) && TARGET_FORMAT == SQUASHFS4_LE
+#define TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER __LITTLE_ENDIAN
+#elif defined(TARGET_FORMAT) && TARGET_FORMAT == SQUASHFS4_BE
+#define TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER __BIG_ENDIAN
+#else
+#error "Invalid or no TARGET_FORMAT defined, it's expected to be either SQUASHFS4_LE (for little-endian) or SQUASHFS4_BE (for big-endian)"
+#endif
+
+#if !(defined(TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER) && (TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER == __LITTLE_ENDIAN || TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN))
+#error "Invalid or no TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER defined, it's expected to be either __LITTLE_ENDIAN or __BIG_ENDIAN"
+#endif
+
+#endif /* SQUASHFS_ENDIAN_H */
--- squashfs-tools/Makefile
+++ squashfs-tools/Makefile
@@ -304,6 +304,8 @@
 
 unsquashfs_info.o: unsquashfs.h squashfs_fs.h
 
+%.o: _endian.h
+
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
 	-rm -f *.o mksquashfs unsquashfs
--- squashfs-tools/mksquashfs.c
+++ squashfs-tools/mksquashfs.c
@@ -51,13 +51,11 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 
+#include "_endian.h"
+
 #ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
 #include <sys/sysctl.h>
 #else
-#include <endian.h>
 #include <sys/sysinfo.h>
 #endif
 
--- squashfs-tools/read_fs.c
+++ squashfs-tools/read_fs.c
@@ -35,13 +35,7 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <dirent.h>
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
--- squashfs-tools/read_xattrs.c
+++ squashfs-tools/read_xattrs.c
@@ -31,13 +31,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
 #include "squashfs_fs.h"
 #include "squashfs_swap.h"
--- squashfs-tools/squashfs_compat.h
+++ squashfs-tools/squashfs_compat.h
@@ -797,7 +797,7 @@
  * macros used to swap each structure entry, taking into account
  * bitfields and different bitfield placing conventions on differing architectures
  */
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN /* old squashfs formats compatiblity code, no need to replace __BIG_ENDIAN with TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER */
 	/* convert from big endian to little endian */
 #define SQUASHFS_SWAP(value, p, pos, tbits) _SQUASHFS_SWAP(value, p, pos, tbits, b_pos)
 #else
--- squashfs-tools/squashfs_swap.h
+++ squashfs-tools/squashfs_swap.h
@@ -27,8 +27,15 @@
  * macros to convert each stucture from big endian to little endian
  */
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#include "_endian.h"
+
 #include <stddef.h>
+
+/*
+ * all the *swap_le* functions below should actually be renamed to something like *swap_different_byte_order*
+ * to reduce the number of differences to the original code and thus increase the comprehensibility
+ * of the changes made we intentionally do not do it
+ */
 extern void swap_le16(void *, void *);
 extern void swap_le32(void *, void *);
 extern void swap_le64(void *, void *);
@@ -42,6 +49,8 @@
 extern void inswap_le32_num(unsigned int *, int);
 extern void inswap_le64_num(long long *, int);
 
+#if __BYTE_ORDER != TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER
+
 #define _SQUASHFS_SWAP_SUPER_BLOCK(s, d, SWAP_FUNC) {\
 	SWAP_FUNC(32, s, d, s_magic, struct squashfs_super_block);\
 	SWAP_FUNC(32, s, d, inodes, struct squashfs_super_block);\
--- squashfs-tools/swap.c
+++ squashfs-tools/swap.c
@@ -19,15 +19,8 @@
  * swap.c
  */
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
 void swap_le16(void *src, void *dest)
 {
 	unsigned char *s = src;
@@ -120,4 +113,3 @@
 INSWAP_LE_NUM(16, unsigned short)
 INSWAP_LE_NUM(32, unsigned int)
 INSWAP_LE_NUM(64, long long)
-#endif
--- squashfs-tools/unsquashfs.c
+++ squashfs-tools/unsquashfs.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
  * unsquashfs.c
  */
 
+#include "_endian.h"
 #include "unsquashfs.h"
 #include "squashfs_swap.h"
 #include "squashfs_compat.h"
@@ -1628,15 +1629,13 @@
 	time_t mkfs_time = (time_t) sBlk.s.mkfs_time;
 	char *mkfs_str = ctime(&mkfs_time);
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
 	printf("Found a valid %sSQUASHFS %d:%d superblock on %s.\n",
-		sBlk.s.s_major == 4 ? "" : swap ? "little endian " :
-		"big endian ", sBlk.s.s_major, sBlk.s.s_minor, source);
+#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+		swap ? "little endian " : "big endian ",
 #else
-	printf("Found a valid %sSQUASHFS %d:%d superblock on %s.\n",
-		sBlk.s.s_major == 4 ? "" : swap ? "big endian " :
-		"little endian ", sBlk.s.s_major, sBlk.s.s_minor, source);
+		swap ? "big endian " : "little endian ",
 #endif
+		sBlk.s.s_major, sBlk.s.s_minor, source);
 
 	printf("Creation or last append time %s", mkfs_str ? mkfs_str :
 		"failed to get time\n");
--- squashfs-tools/unsquashfs.h
+++ squashfs-tools/unsquashfs.h
@@ -47,13 +47,7 @@
 #include <sys/ioctl.h>
 #include <sys/time.h>
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
 #include "squashfs_fs.h"
 #include "error.h"
--- squashfs-tools/gzip_wrapper.h
+++ squashfs-tools/gzip_wrapper.h
@@ -24,15 +24,9 @@
  *
  */
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER != TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER
 extern unsigned int inswap_le16(unsigned short);
 extern unsigned int inswap_le32(unsigned int);
 
--- squashfs-tools/lz4_wrapper.h
+++ squashfs-tools/lz4_wrapper.h
@@ -24,15 +24,9 @@
  *
  */
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER != TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER
 extern unsigned int inswap_le32(unsigned int);
 
 #define SQUASHFS_INSWAP_COMP_OPTS(s) { \
--- squashfs-tools/lzo_wrapper.h
+++ squashfs-tools/lzo_wrapper.h
@@ -24,15 +24,9 @@
  *
  */
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER != TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER
 extern unsigned int inswap_le32(unsigned int);
 
 #define SQUASHFS_INSWAP_COMP_OPTS(s) { \
--- squashfs-tools/xz_wrapper.h
+++ squashfs-tools/xz_wrapper.h
@@ -24,15 +24,9 @@
  *
  */
 
-#ifndef linux
-#define __BYTE_ORDER BYTE_ORDER
-#define __BIG_ENDIAN BIG_ENDIAN
-#define __LITTLE_ENDIAN LITTLE_ENDIAN
-#else
-#include <endian.h>
-#endif
+#include "_endian.h"
 
-#if __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER != TARGET_FORMAT_BYTE_ORDER
 extern unsigned int inswap_le32(unsigned int);
 
 #define SQUASHFS_INSWAP_COMP_OPTS(s) { \