Error
Error Code:
2059
MySQL Error 2059: Authentication Plugin Load Failure
Description
This error indicates that MySQL, either the client or the server, failed to load a required authentication plugin. This typically occurs when the plugin's shared library file is missing, its path is incorrect, or there are insufficient permissions to access it, preventing successful user authentication.
Error Message
Authentication plugin '%s' cannot be loaded: %s
Known Causes
4 known causesMissing or Corrupted Plugin File
The shared library file (.so or .dll) for the specified authentication plugin is either missing from the plugin directory or has become corrupted.
Incorrect Plugin Path Configuration
MySQL cannot locate the authentication plugin because its installation path, or the `plugin_dir` system variable, is incorrectly configured.
Insufficient File Permissions
The operating system user running MySQL (client or server) lacks the necessary read and execute permissions for the authentication plugin file.
Incompatible Plugin Version
The authentication plugin version is incompatible with the MySQL server or client version, or it's not supported by the current architecture.
Solutions
3 solutions available1. Verify and Reinstall Plugin medium
Ensure the authentication plugin is correctly installed and accessible.
1
Identify the problematic plugin. The error message will specify the plugin name (e.g., 'caching_sha2_password').
2
Check if the plugin file exists in the MySQL plugin directory. The location can be found by querying `SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'plugin_dir';`.
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'plugin_dir';3
If the plugin file is missing or corrupted, you may need to reinstall it. This often involves rebuilding or re-compiling MySQL from source with the plugin enabled, or downloading and placing the correct plugin binary into the `plugin_dir`.
4
Alternatively, if the plugin is not critical, you can disable it. This might involve modifying the MySQL configuration file (`my.cnf` or `my.ini`) to comment out or remove any lines related to the plugin, or by altering the user's authentication method to a different, supported plugin.
[mysqld]
# plugin_load_add = "caching_sha2_password"
5
Restart the MySQL server after making any configuration changes.
sudo systemctl restart mysql2. Update User's Authentication Method easy
Change the user's authentication plugin to a compatible one.
1
Connect to your MySQL server as a user with sufficient privileges (e.g., root).
mysql -u root -p2
Identify the user account experiencing the authentication issue. You can list users with `SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user;`.
SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user;3
Alter the user's authentication plugin to a widely supported one like `mysql_native_password` or `sha256_password`. Replace `'username'`, `'hostname'`, and `'new_password'` with the actual values. If you are unsure about the password, you may need to reset it.
ALTER USER 'username'@'hostname' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'new_password';4
Flush privileges to ensure the changes are applied.
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;5
Attempt to connect with the user account again.
3. Check MySQL Configuration for Plugin Loading medium
Ensure the MySQL server is configured to load the required authentication plugin.
1
Locate your MySQL configuration file. This is typically `my.cnf` on Linux/macOS or `my.ini` on Windows.
2
Open the configuration file in a text editor.
3
Look for a section like `[mysqld]` and check for directives related to plugin loading. Specifically, look for `plugin_load_add` or `plugin_dir`.
[mysqld]
plugin_dir = /usr/lib/mysql/plugin
plugin_load_add = "caching_sha2_password"4
Ensure that the `plugin_dir` variable points to the correct directory where MySQL plugins are stored. Verify that the problematic plugin is listed in `plugin_load_add` if it's not a default plugin.
5
If you made any changes, save the configuration file and restart the MySQL server.
sudo systemctl restart mysql