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phpmysqlapachephpmyadmincentos6

Error #1251 - Cannot log in to the MySQL server

I bought a VPS today to use as my new MySQL server. I installed MySQL, Apache, PHP, and phpMyAdmin. I set up my MySQL user as "admin". I am able to log into the user on the command-line, but not in phpMyAdmin. I get the error #1251 Cannot log in to the MySQL server.

The issue is on a new Linux VPS running CentOS 6, MySQL 8.0.16, and Apache 2.2.15. I have tried everything I came across in the past 6 hours of googling. I will create a list of everything I've tried since that will be easier to read.

- setting bind-address to 127.0.0.1
- putting my username and password into config.inc.php
- setting the host to 127.0.0.1 in config.inc.php
- trying sockets over TCP (and setting the host to localhost when using sockets)
- creating a soft-link shortcut from `/usr/share/phpmyadmin` to `/var/www/html/phpmyadmin`
- reinstalling and running mysql_secure_installation

and a lot more things that I can't quite recall at the moment.

config.inc.php

$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host']          = '127.0.0.1'; // MySQL hostname or IP address
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['port']          = '';          // MySQL port - leave blank for default port
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['socket']        = '';          // Path to the socket - leave blank for default socket
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type']  = 'tcp';       // How to connect to MySQL server ('tcp' or 'socket')
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension']     = 'mysqli';    // The php MySQL extension to use ('mysql' or 'mysqli')
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress']      = FALSE;       // Use compressed protocol for the MySQL connection
                                                    // (requires PHP >= 4.3.0)
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser']   = '';          // MySQL control user settings
                                                    // (this user must have read-only
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass']   = '';          // access to the "mysql/user"
                                                    // and "mysql/db" tables).
                                                    // The controluser is also
                                                    // used for all relational
                                                    // features (pmadb)
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type']     = 'cookie';    // Authentication method (config, http or cookie based)?
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user']          = 'admin';     // MySQL user
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password']      = 'areallygoodpassword';  // MySQL password (only needed

httpd.conf

<IfModule php5_module>
    <FilesMatch "\.php$">
        SetHandler application/x-httpd-php
    </FilesMatch>
</IfModule>

LoadModule php5_module modules/libphp5.so
AddType x-httpd-php .php
AddHandler php5-script .php

phpMyAdmin.conf

Alias /phpMyAdmin /usr/share/phpMyAdmin
Alias /phpmyadmin /usr/share/phpMyAdmin

<Directory /usr/share/phpMyAdmin/>
   AddDefaultCharset UTF-8
   Order Allow,Deny
   Allow from All
</Directory>

my.cnf

bind-address=127.0.0.1

After trying all of this, I have had no luck and I am still getting the same error #1251 Cannot log in to the MySQL server. Any help would be greatly appreciated at this point, as I am getting desperate.

EDIT: The issue was my user's passwords were saved as caching_sha2_password instead of mysql_native_password. See the answer below.

Solution

    1. First, try by disabling the SELinux by using the command
      setenforce 0

    2. check user, host and password plugin by using query through MySQL prompt.

    SELECT user, host, plugin from mysql.user

    plugin must be set to "mysql_native_password, and the host should be localhost. if it is not you can update your plugin by: UPDATE mysql.user SET plugin = 'mysql_native_password' WHERE User = 'admin'

    and update host:

    UPDATE mysql.user SET host = 'localhost' WHERE User = 'admin'