An ezine is a periodic publication distributed by email or posted on a website. CULT OF THE DEAD COW claims to have published the first ezine, starting in 1984, with its ezine still in production more than 20 years later. While this claim is hotly debated, the ezine craze certainly began in the BBS days of the 1980s. Phrack, which opened its doors in 1985, is another surviving ezine of unparalelled technical quality. Unlike CULT OF THE DEAD COW, which publishes articles individually, Phrack published collections of articles in a manner that was more similar to a print magazine. Phrack ceased production in 2005.

Ezines are typically tightly focused on a subject area. Ezines in concept are reworkings of the popular magazine format of seasonal, monthly, or weekly topical publications, in an electronic format.