MariaDB socket authentication causes "User 'root' is using weak password:"

[jordantrizz]

Hello,

When MariaDB is configured for socket authentication, when running mysqltuner.pl it results in the message "User 'root' is using weak password:". However when running mysqtuner.pl --host 127.0.0.1 this error doesn't occur.

 >>  MySQLTuner 2.8.30
         * Jean-Marie Renouard <jmrenouard@gmail.com>
         * Major Hayden <major@mhtx.net>
 >>  Bug reports, feature requests, and downloads at http://mysqltuner.pl/
 >>  Run with '--help' for additional options and output filtering

ℹ  Skipped version check for MySQLTuner script
✔  Logged in using credentials from Debian maintenance account.
✔  Operating on 64-bit architecture

-------- Storage Engine Statistics -----------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Status: +Aria +CSV +InnoDB +MEMORY +MRG_MyISAM +MyISAM +PERFORMANCE_SCHEMA +SEQUENCE
ℹ  Data in Aria tables: 32.0K (Tables: 1)
ℹ  Data in MEMORY tables: 0B (Tables: 1)
ℹ  Data in InnoDB tables: 17.5G (Tables: 341)
✘  Total fragmented tables: 2

✔  Currently running supported MySQL/MariaDB version 10.11.15-MariaDB-ubu2204(LTS)

-------- Log file Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------
✔  Log file /var/log/mysql/error.log exists
ℹ  Log file: /var/log/mysql/error.log (10M)
✔  Log file /var/log/mysql/error.log is not empty
✔  Log file /var/log/mysql/error.log is smaller than 32 MB
✔  Log file /var/log/mysql/error.log is readable.
✘  /var/log/mysql/error.log contains 13182 warning(s).
✔  /var/log/mysql/error.log doesn't contain any error.
ℹ  6 start(s) detected in /var/log/mysql/error.log
ℹ  1) 2026-01-27  9:12:29 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  2) 2026-01-26 19:53:05 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  3) 2026-01-26 11:13:47 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  4) 2026-01-25 13:17:07 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  5) 2026-01-23 16:45:57 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  6) 2026-01-22 17:40:42 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mariadbd: ready for connections.
ℹ  0 shutdown(s) detected in /var/log/mysql/error.log

-------- Analysis Performance Metrics --------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  innodb_stats_on_metadata: OFF
✔  No stat updates during querying INFORMATION_SCHEMA.

-------- Views Metrics -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------- Triggers Metrics --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------- Routines Metrics --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------- Security Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  mariadb.org binary distribution - 10.11.15-MariaDB-ubu2204
✔  There are no anonymous accounts for any database users
✔  All database users have passwords assigned
ℹ  There are 623 basic passwords in the list.
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: %Total%Received%XferdAverageSpeedTimeTimeTimeCurrent
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: DloadUploadTotalSpentLeftSpeed
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 00000000--:--:----:--:----:--:--01003988100398800254330--:--:----:--:----:--:--25564
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 1
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 123456
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: porsche
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: firebird
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: prince
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: rosebud
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 2
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: pa#sword
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: guitar
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: butter
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: beach
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: jaguar
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 3
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 12345678
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: chelsea
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: united
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: amateur
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: great
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 4
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 1234
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: black
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: turtle
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 7777777
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: cool
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 5
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: p#ssy
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: diamond
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: steelers
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: muffin
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: cooper
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 6
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 12345
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: nascar
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: tiffany
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: redsox
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 1313
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 7
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: dragon
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: jackson
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: zxcvbn
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: star
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: scorpio
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 8
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: qwerty
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: cameron
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: tomcat
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: testing
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: mountain
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 9
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 696969
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 654321
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: golf
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: shannon
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: madison
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 10
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: mustang
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: computer
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: bond007
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: murphy
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 987654
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 11
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: letmein
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: amanda
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: bear
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: frank
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: brazil
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 12
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: baseball
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: wizard
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: tiger
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: hannah
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: lauren
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 13
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: master
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: xxxxxxxx
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: doctor
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: dave
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: japan
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 14
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: michael
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: money
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: gateway
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: eagle1
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: naked
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 15
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: football
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: phoenix
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: gators
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 11111
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: squirt
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 16
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: shadow
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: mickey
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: angel
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: mother
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: stars
✘  User 'root' is using weak password: 17

-------- CVE Security Recommendations --------------------------------------------------------------
✔  NO SECURITY CVE FOUND FOR YOUR VERSION

-------- Performance Metrics -----------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Up for: 2d 5h 35m 40s (7M q [39.952 qps], 130K conn, TX: 20G, RX: 3G)
ℹ  Reads / Writes: 88% / 12%
ℹ  Binary logging is disabled
ℹ  Physical Memory     : 31.0G
ℹ  Max MySQL memory    : 18.5G
ℹ  Other process memory: 0B
ℹ  Total buffers: 17.9G global + 4.7M per thread (100 max threads)
ℹ  Performance_schema Max memory usage: 106M
ℹ  Galera GCache Max memory usage: 0B
✔  Maximum reached memory usage: 18.3G (59.20% of installed RAM)
✔  Maximum possible memory usage: 18.5G (59.67% of installed RAM)
✔  Overall possible memory usage with other process is compatible with memory available
✔  Slow queries: 0% (45/7M)
✔  Highest usage of available connections: 68% (68/100)
✔  Aborted connections: 2.47% (3215/130037)
✘  Name resolution is active: a reverse name resolution is made for each new connection which can reduce performance
✔  Query cache is disabled by default due to mutex contention on multiprocessor machines.
✔  Sorts requiring temporary tables: 0% (238 temp sorts / 325K sorts)
✔  No joins without indexes
✘  Temporary tables created on disk: 36% (174K on disk / 473K total)
✔  Thread cache hit rate: 99% (73 created / 130K connections)
✔  Table cache hit rate: 99% (7M hits / 7M requests)
✔  table_definition_cache (800) is greater than number of tables (634)
✔  Open file limit used: 0% (60/32K)
✔  Table locks acquired immediately: 100% (1K immediate / 1K locks)

-------- MyISAM Metrics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  General MyIsam metrics:
ℹ   +-- Total MyISAM Tables  : 0
ℹ   +-- Total MyISAM indexes : 0B
ℹ   +-- KB Size :128.0M
ℹ   +-- KB Used Size :23.3M
ℹ   +-- KB used :18.2%
ℹ   +-- Read KB hit rate: 0% (0 cached / 0 reads)
ℹ   +-- Write KB hit rate: 0% (0 cached / 0 writes)
ℹ  No MyISAM table(s) detected ....

-------- InnoDB Metrics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  InnoDB is enabled.
✔  InnoDB File per table is activated
✔  InnoDB Buffer Pool size ( 17.6G ) under limit for 64 bits architecture: (17179869184.0G )
✔  InnoDB buffer pool / data size: 17.6G / 17.5G
✔  Ratio InnoDB log file size / InnoDB Buffer pool size: 4.9G * 1/17.6G should be equal to 25%
ℹ  innodb_buffer_pool_chunk_size is set to 'autosize' (0) in MariaDB >= 10.8. Skipping chunk size checks.
✔  InnoDB Read buffer efficiency: 99.99% (9540256053 hits / 9541189523 total)
✔  InnoDB Write Log efficiency: 90.49% (5517517 hits / 6097259 total)
✔  InnoDB log waits: 0.00% (0 waits / 579742 writes)

-------- InnoDB Transactions -----------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Transaction Isolation Level: REPEATABLE-READ
ℹ  InnoDB Snapshot Isolation: OFF
✘  innodb_snapshot_isolation is OFF with REPEATABLE-READ (Stricter snapshot isolation is disabled)
ℹ  Active InnoDB Transactions: 0

-------- Query Cache Information -------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  QUERY_CACHE_INFO plugin is not active or not installed.

-------- Aria Metrics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Aria Storage Engine is enabled.
✔  Aria pagecache size / total Aria indexes: 128.0M/352.0K
✔  Aria pagecache hit rate: 100.0% (14M cached / 474 reads)

-------- TokuDB Metrics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  TokuDB is disabled.

-------- XtraDB Metrics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  XtraDB is disabled.

-------- Galera Metrics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Galera is disabled.

-------- Replication Metrics -----------------------------------------------------------------------
ℹ  Galera Synchronous replication: NO
ℹ  No replication slave(s) for this server.
ℹ  Binlog format: MIXED
ℹ  XA support enabled: ON
ℹ  Semi synchronous replication Master: OFF
ℹ  Semi synchronous replication Slave: OFF
ℹ  This is a standalone server

-------- Recommendations ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
General recommendations:
    Run ALTER TABLE ... FORCE or OPTIMIZE TABLE to defragment tables for better performance
      ALTER TABLE `database`.`table1` FORCE; -- can free 536 MiB
      ALTER TABLE `database`.`tabel1` FORCE; -- can free 206 MiB
    Consider defragmenting 2 tables to free up 742 MiB
    Check warning line(s) in /var/log/mysql/error.log file
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    Set up a Secure Password for root user.
    100 user(s) used basic or weak password from basic dictionary.
    Configure your accounts with ip or subnets only, then update your configuration with skip-name-resolve=ON
    When making adjustments, make tmp_table_size/max_heap_table_size equal
    Reduce your SELECT DISTINCT queries which have no LIMIT clause
    Before changing innodb_log_file_size and/or innodb_log_files_in_group read this: https://bit.ly/2TcGgtU
Variables to adjust:
    skip-name-resolve=ON
    tmp_table_size (> 64M)
    max_heap_table_size (> 64M)
    innodb_snapshot_isolation=ON

[jmrenouard]

Hi @jordantrizz
Fixed: https://github.com/jmrenouard/MySQLTuner-perl/tree/v2.8.32

[jordantrizz]

So with 2.8.32

# ./mysqltuner.pl
 >>  MySQLTuner 2.8.32
         * Jean-Marie Renouard <jmrenouard@gmail.com>
         * Major Hayden <major@mhtx.net>
 >>  Bug reports, feature requests, and downloads at http://mysqltuner.pl/
 >>  Run with '--help' for additional options and output filtering

ℹ  Skipped version check for MySQLTuner script
Please enter your MySQL administrative password:

And with 2.8.29

# ./mysqltuner.pl
 >>  MySQLTuner 2.8.29
         * Jean-Marie Renouard <jmrenouard@gmail.com>
         * Major Hayden <major@mhtx.net>
 >>  Bug reports, feature requests, and downloads at http://mysqltuner.pl/
 >>  Run with '--help' for additional options and output filtering

ℹ  Skipped version check for MySQLTuner script
✔  Logged in using credentials from Debian maintenance account.
✔  Operating on 64-bit architecture

But with 2.8.32 add -u root is fine.

# ./mysqltuner.pl -u root
 >>  MySQLTuner 2.8.32
         * Jean-Marie Renouard <jmrenouard@gmail.com>
         * Major Hayden <major@mhtx.net>
 >>  Bug reports, feature requests, and downloads at http://mysqltuner.pl/
 >>  Run with '--help' for additional options and output filtering

ℹ  Skipped version check for MySQLTuner script
✔  Logged in using credentials passed on the command line
✔  Operating on 64-bit architecture

I don't know why -u root is now required when it wasn't before. This is in a vanilla sh shell.

[jmrenouard]

Fixed: https://github.com/jmrenouard/MySQLTuner-perl/tree/v2.8.38

[jordantrizz]

Looks all good now!

[jmrenouard]

Thanks @jordantrizz