Automated characterization of network traffic is described herein. A method may include compiling network traffic data based on received network traffic, preparing a network traffic characterization based on the network traffic data, and generating outgoing network traffic scripts based on the network traffic characterization. A method may also include capturing network traffic and generating test network traffic based on the scripts. A network testing system on which the method may be executed may include one or more chassis and/or computing devices, each having one or more network cards. The chassis and/or computing devices may be connected to one or more networks and to one another. The networks may include a production network and a test network. A system may include a data collector, a characterization engine, a script generator, and a traffic generator.