How Does a Cliff Period Differ from the Overall Vesting Period?

The cliff period is the initial portion of the vesting schedule during which no tokens are released, regardless of time passing. Once the cliff period (e.g.

1 year) is complete, the first batch of tokens is released, and the remaining tokens begin to vest gradually over the subsequent overall vesting period (e.g. 3 more years).

The cliff acts as a mandatory minimum commitment period.