Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password

If you are a developer or a database administrator, you might have faced the error “Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password’” while connecting to a MySQL database. This error occurs when the client program is trying to connect to the database server using an older version of the MySQL client library that doesn’t support the default authentication plugin used by the server.

In this blog post, we will discuss what this error means, why it occurs, and how to resolve it. We will also provide code examples to help you better understand the process.



What is the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin?

The ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin is a new authentication plugin introduced in MySQL 8.0 that uses SHA-256 as the hashing algorithm for passwords. It provides improved security over the previous authentication plugins, as well as better performance for password hashing operations.



Why does the error occur?

The error “Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password’” occurs when the client program is trying to connect to the database server using an older version of the MySQL client library that doesn’t support the default authentication plugin used by the server.

This can happen if you are using an older version of the MySQL client library or if you are using a third-party library that doesn’t support the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin.



How to resolve the error

There are several ways to resolve the “Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password’” error, depending on the specific scenario you are facing.

  1. Upgrade the MySQL client library

The easiest and most straightforward way to resolve the error is to upgrade the MySQL client library to the latest version. This will ensure that the library supports the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin.

  1. Change the authentication plugin on the server

Another option is to change the authentication plugin used by the server. You can do this by logging into the MySQL server as the root user and running the following command:

sqlCopy codeALTER USER 'username'@'host' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'password';

Replace ‘username’ with the actual username, ‘host’ with the hostname or IP address of the client, and ‘password’ with the actual password for the user.

  1. Use a third-party library that supports the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin

If you are using a third-party library to connect to the MySQL database, you can try using a different library that supports the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin. This will ensure that you can connect to the database without encountering the error.



Code Examples

Let’s take a look at some code examples that demonstrate how to resolve the “Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password’” error.

Example 1: Upgrading the MySQL client library

Here is an example of how you can upgrade the MySQL client library in a Java Spring Boot application.

phpCopy code<dependency>
  <groupId>mysql</groupId>
  <artifactId>mysql-connector-java</artifactId>
  <version>8.0.23</version>
</dependency>

This example assumes that you are using Maven as your build system. You can simply add the above code to your pom.xml file and run the command mvn clean install to upgrade the MySQL client library.

Example 2: Changing the authentication plugin on the server

Here is an example of how you can change the authentication plugin on the server using the MySQL command line client.

sqlCopy codemysql -u root -p
Enter password: 
Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 18
Server version: 8.0.23 MySQL Community Server - GPL

mysql> ALTER USER 'username'@'host' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'password';
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.01 sec)

mysql> exit
Bye

In this example, you would replace ‘username’ with the actual username, ‘host’ with the hostname or IP address of the client, and ‘password’ with the actual password for the user.

Example 3: Using a third-party library that supports the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin

Here is an example of how you can use the MariaDB Java Client to connect to a MySQL database in a Java Spring Boot application.

phpCopy code<dependency>
  <groupId>org.mariadb.jdbc</groupId>
  <artifactId>mariadb-java-client</artifactId>
  <version>2.7.0</version>
</dependency>

This example assumes that you are using Maven as your build system. You can simply add the above code to your pom.xml file and run the command mvn clean install to upgrade the MySQL client library.



Conclusion

In conclusion, the error “Unable to load authentication plugin ‘caching_sha2_password’” can be resolved by upgrading the MySQL client library, changing the authentication plugin on the server, or using a third-party library that supports the ‘caching_sha2_password’ authentication plugin.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the error and connect to the MySQL database without any issues.



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