MySQL fails on: mysql "ERROR 1524 (HY000): Plugin 'auth_socket' is not loaded"

Question

My local environment is:

• Fresh Ubuntu 16.04
• With PHP 7
• With installed MySQL 5.7

sudo apt-get install mysql-common mysql-server

---

When I tried to login to MySQL (via CLI):

mysql -u root -p

I came across an cyclic issue with 3 steps.

1. First was some socket issue

   ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through    socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock'
   

   Solution: Restarting PC.

   Which led to another error:

2. With access denied

   ERROR 1698 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost'.
   

   Possible issue? Wrong password for root user!

   Solution: Reset root password with this RackSpace tutorial. With correct password and working socket, there comes last error.

3. Incorrect auth plugin

   mysql "ERROR 1524 (HY000): Plugin 'unix_socket' is not loaded"
   

   Here I stopped or somehow got to step 1. again.

Answer 1

The mysql command by default uses UNIX sockets to connect to MySQL.

If you're using MariaDB, you need to load the Unix Socket Authentication Plugin on the server side.

You can do it by editing the [mysqld] configuration like this:

[mysqld]
plugin-load-add = auth_socket.so

Depending on the distribution, the config file can be located at /etc/mysql/ or /usr/local/etc/mysql/

If unix_socket=OFF is set in the same section, enable it by changing it to unix_socket=ON or this fix does not apply.

Answer 2

ah, i encontered this today and stucked for soooo long time with all those method failed, on the circumstance when i was trying to migrant db from mysql to MariaDB. Here's how i solved it.

Fisrtly, it happened when you change any info and setting for any users succeeded from the old db, tunred out to be the different authenticating way between mysql and MariaDB.

So after the migration, you got the chance to login in without any change in user info and setting. Once you have imported you backup.sql from mysql to mariaDB, use your root accese to exert below:

USE mysql;
UPDATE mysql.user SET plugin = 'mysql_native_password';

then try to change the .cnf in the /etc/mysql/ which contains the "[mysqld]"

then under the [mysqld], add:

plugin-load-add = auth_socket.so

After all those operatons, this might be solved. Hope it work for U.

Answer 3

I don't have enough reputation points to comment so I am posting here. +1 vote for @Gorcer's answer about mysql_secure_installation. If you haven't run secure installation on the server (as I hadn't), run that first. It will enable auth_socket. It worked for me on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Answer 4

On macOS. If you don't use brew services, install it https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-services

Stop MySQL:

brew services stop mysql@5.7

Start MySQL in safe mode:

mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

Login to MySQL:

mysql -u root

Use mysql table:

use mysql;

Update the authentication:

update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD('') where User='root';
update user set plugin='mysql_native_password' where User='root';

Flush the privileges and quit

flush privileges;
quit;

Restart MySQL:

/usr/local/opt/mysql@5.7/bin/mysql.server stop
brew services start mysql@5.7

Answer 5

Try it:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Work's in Ubuntu 18.04.

Answer 6

It works for me (ubuntu 22.04):

1) stop and remove mysql and related services

sudo kill $(pgrep mysql)
sudo apt-get remove --purge mysql-\*
sudo rm -rf /etc/mysql

2) download APT repo https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/repo/apt/

3) follow guide https://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql-apt-repo-quick-guide/en/

shortlist from the guide:

sudo dpkg -i mysql-apt-config_0.8.24-1_all.deb

inside the dialog leave settings as is

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mysql-server

it should be a dialog: set ROOT password and leave auth setting as is. I've tried to change it and got auth error.

Finally

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mysql-workbench-community

Hope it will save your time, good luck :)

Answer 7

My cmd prompt was displaying the same error and sql installation command was stuck. Below commands worked for me.

Open a new terminal. Terminate the current open mysql_secure_installation from first terminal,

sudo killall -9 mysql_secure_installation

Start the mysql client and you will move to sql prompt:

sudo mysql

Run the following SQL query:

ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'setYourPasswordHereWithinQuotes';

exit

Let's secure it by entering in cmd:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Whenever promoted for password, use the setYourPasswordHereWithinQuotes password you set in above sql query.

DONE!

Answer 8

I got a solution!

When resetting the root password at step 2), also change the auth plugin to mysql_native_password:

use mysql;
update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD("") where User='root';
update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root';  # THIS LINE

flush privileges;
quit;

This allowed me to log in successfully!

---

Full code solution

1. First, run these bash commands

sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop # stop mysql service
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables & # start mysql without password
# enter -> go
mysql -uroot # connect to mysql

2. Then run mysql commands => copy paste this to CLI manually

use mysql; # use mysql table
update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD("") where User='root'; # update password to nothing
update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root'; # set password resolving to default mechanism for root user

flush privileges;
quit;

3. Run more bash commands

sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop 
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start # reset mysql
# try login to database, just press enter at password prompt because your password is now blank
mysql -u root -p 

4. Socket issue (from your comments)

When you see a socket error, a community came with 2 possible solutions:

sudo mkdir -p /var/run/mysqld; sudo chown mysql /var/run/mysqld
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

(thanks to @Cerin)

Or

mkdir -p /var/run/mysqld && chown mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld  

(thanks to @Peter Dvukhrechensky)

---

Blind paths and possible edge errors

Use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost

mysql -uroot # "-hlocalhost" is default

Can lead to "missing file" or slt error.

mysql -uroot -h127.0.0.1

Works better.

Skip the socket issue

I've found many ways to create mysqld.sock file, change access rights, or symlink it. It was not the issue after all.

Skip the my.cnf file

The issue also was not there. If you are not sure, this might help you.

Answer 9

This may work

CREATE USER 'user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'pwd';

ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'MyNewPass';

Answer 10

I tried with and it works

use mysql; # use mysql table
update user set authentication_string="" where User='root'; 

flush privileges;
quit;

Answer 11

For Ubuntu 18.04 and mysql 5.7

• step 1: sudo mkdir /var/run/mysqld;

  step 2: sudo chown mysql /var/run/mysqld

  step 3: sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables & quit (use quit if its stuck )

login to mysql without password

• step 4: sudo mysql --user=root mysql

  step 5: SELECT user,authentication_string,plugin,host FROM mysql.user;

  step 6: ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'root'

now login with

• mysql -u root -p <root>

Answer 12

In case someone lands here after making the same mistake I did:

1. Switched to plugin="mysql_native_password" temporarily. Performed my tasks.
2. Attempted to switch back to the "auth_socket" plugin, but incorrectly referenced it as plugin="auth_socket" which resulted in mysql "ERROR 1524 (HY000): Plugin 'auth_socket' is not loaded"
3. Lacking a way to login to fix this mistake, I was forced to have to stop mysql and use mysql_safe to bypass authentication in order to switch to the appropriate plugin plugin="unix_socket"

Hopefully this saves someone some time if they receive the original poster's error message, but the true cause was flubbing the plugin name, not actually lacking the existence of the "auth_socket" plugin itself, which according to the MariaDB documentation:

In MariaDB 10.4.3 and later, the unix_socket authentication plugin is installed by default, and it is used by the 'root'@'localhost' user account by default.

Answer 13

You can try with the below commands:

hduser@master:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
[ ok ] Stopping mysql (via systemctl): mysql.service.
hduser@master:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
[ ok ] Starting mysql (via systemctl): mysql.service.

Answer 14

You can try as follows it works for me.

Start server:

sudo service mysql start

Now, Go to sock folder:

cd /var/run

Back up the sock:

sudo cp -rp ./mysqld ./mysqld.bak

Stop server:

sudo service mysql stop

Restore the sock:

sudo mv ./mysqld.bak ./mysqld

Start mysqld_safe:

 sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables --skip-networking &

Init mysql shell:

 mysql -u root

Change password:

Hence, First choose the database

mysql> use mysql;

Now enter below two queries:

mysql> update user set authentication_string=password('123456') where user='root';
mysql> update user set plugin="mysql_native_password" where User='root'; 

Now, everything will be ok.

mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> quit;

For checking:

mysql -u root -p

done!

N.B, After login please change the password again from phpmyadmin

Now check hostname/phpmyadmin

Username: root

Password: 123456

For more details please check How to reset forgotten password phpmyadmin in Ubuntu

Answer 15

You can try these some steps:

Stop Mysql Service 1st sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop

Login as root without password sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &

After login mysql terminal you should need execute commands more:

use mysql;

UPDATE mysql.user SET authentication_string=PASSWORD('solutionclub3@*^G'), plugin='mysql_native_password' WHERE User='root';

flush privileges;

sudo mysqladmin -u root -p -S /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock shutdown

After you restart your mysql server If you still facing error you must visit : Reset MySQL 5.7 root password Ubuntu 16.04