Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket (without using sudo)

Question

I am running Windows 10 Build 1904.1706 and Ubuntu 20.04 through WSL2 version 5.10.16.3-microsoft-standard-WSL2.

I am trying to install mysql (something I have done plenty of times before on regular linux machines) and I am running into some issues logging into MySQL using both the root account and a user I have created.

When I try to connect to the database using mysql -u root -p OR mysql -u root, I am given the following error: ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (13)

I have ruled out it being me connecting from the wrong host, since I have run an ALTER USER command to change root's host from 'localhost' to '%'. I get the same error when connecting as the user account I've created.

However, I can connect fine if I prepend mysql -u root -p with sudo.

Finally I have also tried to modify /etc/mysql/mysqld.conf.d/mysqld.cnf and changed the bind-address field to 0.0.0.0 and that made no change in behavior.

On all of my other MySQL installations I have experience with, I never need to use sudo to log into mysql as a valid user, so I am wondering if WSL2 is playing a role.

Edit: To add, when I am trying to connect to my MySQL server, I am doing so from within the WSL terminal and NOT a Windows terminal like Powershell.

I saw another StackOverflow thread that suggested to CHMOD the /var/lib/mysql directory recursively, but that made no difference as well

Answer 1

For anyone else with this issue, you can connect to MySQL without sudo by appending the --protocol=tcp flag to your mysql command.

Ex. mysql -u root -p --protocol=tcp