Difference between 'self' and 'total' in Chrome CPU Profile of JS

Solution 1:

self is how much time was spent doing work directly in that function.

total is how much time was spent in that function, and in the functions it called.

Solution 2:

Self Time: For a function, is the amount of time to execute code within the function (inline statements). Checking the performance of individual functions is known as bottom-up analysis.

Total Time: For a function, is the self time of that function and the self times of all functions that function calls. Checking the performance of functions along with their callees is top-down analysis.

NB: Just because a function has a high self time, doesn't mean that the function itself is inefficient. It is also important to look at how many times that function is being called.

Article by Intel