How to Fix 'mysqli_connect(): The server requested authentication method unknown to the client [caching_sha2_password]' Error?

php mysqli_connect: Authentication Method Caching_sha2_Password Issue on MySQL Server

Problem:

When attempting to connect to a MySQL database using mysqli_connect on localhost, the following error occurs: "mysqli_connect(): The server requested authentication method unknown to the client [caching_sha2_password]". This issue arises when using the caching_sha2_password authentication plugin on the MySQL server.

Solution:

To resolve this authentication method conflict, follow these steps:

1. In the MySQL Server ini file (typically named "my.ini" or "my.cnf"), locate the "default_authentication_plugin" setting.
2. Change the default_authentication_plugin value from "caching_sha2_password" to "mysql_native_password".
3. Save the ini file and restart the MySQL server.
4. For existing users, run the following SQL command to reset their authentication method to mysql_native_password:

ALTER USER 'username'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'password';

5. For new users, create them using the mysql_native_password authentication method:

CREATE USER 'username'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'password';

By implementing these changes, your MySQL server will be configured to use the mysql_native_password authentication plugin, making it compatible with the mysqli_connect function and allowing for successful database connections.

The above is the detailed content of How to Fix 'mysqli_connect(): The server requested authentication method unknown to the client [caching_sha2_password]' Error?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!