T1D glossary

Nightscout

Also called CGM in the Cloud, NS.

Nightscout is an open-source cloud app that people with diabetes and parents of kids with diabetes use to store, view and share CGM data in real time. Each family sets up its own site with a cloud host. An uploader sends the CGM data in, and followers view it on phones, watches and other devices. (Nightscout documentation)

Worked example

A family runs its own Nightscout site on a cloud host. The child's phone app uploads each CGM value; both parents open the site, or a follower app, to see the same number.

Related terms

• Follower
• Continuous glucose monitor
• Closed loop

Sources, quoted

• Nightscout documentation: “Nightscout (also known as CGM in the Cloud) is an open-source cloud application used by people with diabetes and parents of kids with diabetes to visualize, store and share the data from their Continuous Glucose Monitoring sensors in real-time.”
• Nightscout documentation: “The Nightscout cloud application can be installed by yourself (Do It Yourself, in short: DIY) using hosting services from various cloud service providers.”
• Nightscout documentation: “You need somewhere online to store, process and visualize this data (a Nightscout Site), something to upload CGM data to your Nightscout (an Uploader), and then optionally you can use other devices to access or view this data (one - or more - Follower).”

Every quote above is checked against its source page before each update of this site; last checked 2026-10-06. The worked example is our own arithmetic. This page explains a term; it is not advice for a person's treatment.