Three measures, three possible causes
- Ping is the round-trip delay between your device and the server, in milliseconds. The lower it is, the faster your actions arrive.
- FPS (frames per second) depends on your device: it's how smooth the display is.
- TPS (ticks per second) measures the server's simulation rate. Minecraft aims for 20 ticks per second, or one tick every 50 milliseconds.
These are three different things, and the same "lag" can come from any of them.
Recognising the symptoms
If the picture stutters while other players move normally, look at local rendering, so your FPS. If actions respond late or hits don't land, the network or a busy server may be the cause. Honestly, a single measure isn't always enough to tell.
On Java, the debug screen (F3) shows your FPS among other things. On a network with a proxy, a server-specific command may also display a measure: read its label carefully. A value close to 19 or 20 is often a tick rate, not a system load.
What you can try
- Lower the render distance and heavy graphics options: useful for FPS, no effect on ping.
- Compare with another known connection, changing one setting at a time.
- Close downloads or demanding apps running in the background.
No miracle, though: no player-side setting fixes an overloaded server.
A useful report for the server team
If the problem persists, note:
- the mode, the map and the time;
- your edition and version;
- whether other players notice it too;
- the exact value and label of the measure;
- the symptom: display, movement or actions.
On Origins, this kind of report lets the team compare with its own measurements before drawing conclusions.
Technical reference: the server tick in the Paper documentation.