I have recently installed MySQL directly from the website (mysql-5.7.9-osx10.10-x86_64.dmg) and I have run into a great deal of difficulty that started with trying to change the given password. The error that was returned was:
[Warning] Using a password on the command line interface can be
insecure. mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed error:
Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock
(2)' Check that mysqld is running and that the socket:
'/tmp/mysql.sock' exists!
From here I attempted to find the "usr" folder (hidden files are showing) or even anything that closely resembles MySQL anywhere on my computer and got nothing except for installation .dmg files.
I know that MySQL was installed because it is now able to be started and stopped in the System Preferences pane, but clearly none of my commands are working and I keep getting this error no matter what I do:
mysql: command not found
Can someone give me some clue as to what I am missing? I've become fairly desperate and can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I am running El Capitan.
Well, if you're saying that MySQL is running, you can try looking for it via terminal command like this:
ps aux | grep mysql
which should give something like
12345 ... 5 Apr16 9:09.32 /usr/local/Cellar/mysql/5.6.17/bin/mysqld --basedir=/usr/local/Cellar/mysql/5.6.17 --datadir=/usr/local/var/mysql --bind-address=127.0.0.1
so basedir and datadir is probably the most valuable outputs here (please note that your path most likely will be different).
On top of it, in order to get mysql command running through terminal you have two options
Create simulink from mysql's basedir into your /usr/local/bin directory
ln -s /usr/local/Cellar/mysql/5.6.17/bin/mysql /usr/local/bin/mysql
Add mysql's basedir/bin to your path (need to add this to your ~/.bashrc to make it persistent)
export PATH=/usr/local/Cellar/mysql/5.6.17/bin/:$PATH
New terminal tab is required for these changes to catch up.
Cheers.
environment
OS X El Capitan 10.11 , Mysql 5.6.26
What I did
mysql port was 3307 when I installed it. ( I didn't install it using brew.)
I changed the port 3306 to 3306 by editing /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld.plist after using mysql with 3307 port for 6 months well.
I revised <string>--port=3307</string> to 3306.
I tried to stop and It didn't work. So I used following:
sudo kill -9 [PID]
It's killed and didn't start. So I changed the port 3006 to 3007.
I tried to start mysql server with following command and got a error.
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server start
ERROR! The server quit without updating PID file (/var/lib/mysql/nhnui-MacBook-Pro.local.pid).
And I found some helpful advices in follwing link.
reference link :
After MySQL install via Brew, I get the error - The server quit without updating PID file
I tried to change ownership of files, checking my.cnf file, checking error log file and all didn't work for me.
Finally, I removed /usr/local/mysql/datamysqld.local.err , /usr/local/mysql/datamysqld.local.pid and rebooted mac.and I can start mysql server.
The Problem
Then, the problem is above tip is not perfect for me.
mysql server was running after restarting mac. I checked it with 'ps-ef | grep mysql'.
Stop and start was success and then it didn't stop it again cause of same error!
Screenshot of the error :
Of course, I did it again (I mean deleting .err , .pid file / rebooting mac / cheking mysql ps / stop - start (well) / stop (got error)) and checked that it has same error.
Here is the error log : /usr/local/mysql/data/mysqld.local.err
Now, mysql server can't stop.
What can I do to solve this?
P.S - If it will be better to reinstall mysql, I should do that.
Make a backup of your system.
Dump your data into text files.
Uninstall everything releated to mySql (a quick Google search will point you to several how-tos)
Reinstall mySql from the package in the .dmg available from mySql website.
You can choose the latest 5.6.x or 5.7.x
Set the mySql root password and you're done.
When things get messy and all you can do is guessing what's the fix it's faster to reinstall given that a package installer is provided for mySql (you don't have to compile it yourself or play with brew/macports).
Cannot connect to MySQL Workbench on mac. I get the following error: Could not connect, server may not be running. Can't connect to MySQL server on '127.0.0.1' (61)
The help would be appreciated.
Thank You!
Ran into a similar issue and my problem was that MySQL installed itself configured to run on non-default port. I do not know the reason for that, but to find out which port MySQL is running on, run the following in MySql client:
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'PORT';
Go to System preferences -> MySql and check the state of your MySql instance.
There may be one or multiple reasons if you are not able to connect to MAC OS X MySQL server with MySQL-workbench.
When you press 'test connection' you might see this error. This could be explained briefly if you go step by step through 'Configure server management..'
On the basis of the red crosses you can filter out the real problem.
The most common problems are associated with the installation of MySQL-server. Few people either forget to install the server prior to installing MySQL-workbench. Some others would install a part of the product. Please check whether you have also installed all the 3 parts that comes with the MySQL-Server dmg(disk image) file which contains mysql-server package. Those 3 parts are: MySQL server, preference pane and startup item.
Note: If you haven't selected preference pane then you won't be able to start mysql server instance from the System preferences.
After you make sure that you have installed each item then you can check server instance of your native mysql-server. Open System preferences from dock and click MySQL. Then click Start MySQL Server to start the server instance. If the server instance is stopped, then MySQL-workbench won't be able to connect to the MySQL server.
If you are still facing issue, then you need to check the port of the connection which you are making. Default port is '3307' and NOT '3306'. You can check it with using the following command in mysql terminal:
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'PORT';
Please note that this process helps you to connect to the local instance. If you have to connect to a remote server, then you have to enter that specific IP and Port. Contact your server's administrator if you are facing the issue. As this question specifically states that the problem is related to connecting to the local instance, I am not writing checks that you may need to ensure.
This steps are all in the terminal:)->source
Step make sure your server is running:
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server start
Check MySQL version. "This also puts you in to a shell interactive dialogue with mySQL, type q to exit."
/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql -v
Make your life easier: "After installation, in order to use mysql commands without typing the full path to the commands you need to add the mysql directory to your shell path, (optional step) this is done in your “.bash_profile” file in your home directory, if you don’t have that file just create it using vi or nano:"
cd ; nano .bash_profile
paste in and save:
export PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"
"The first command brings you to your home directory and opens the .bash_profile file or creates a new one if it doesn’t exist, then add in the line above which adds the mysql binary path to commands that you can run. Exit the file with type “control + x” and when prompted save the change by typing “y”. Last thing to do here is to reload the shell for the above to work straight away."
source ~/.bash_profile
mysql -v
"You will get the version number again, just type “q” to exit."
Check out on which port the server is running:
in your terminal type in: mysql
and then
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'PORT';
use everytime a semikolon in the mysql client (shell)!
now you know your port and where you can configure your server(in the terminal with mysql shell/client). but for a successful connection with MySQL Benchmark or an other client you have to know more. username, passwort hostname and port. after the installation the root user has no passwort so set(howtoSetPW) the passwort in terminal with mysql shell/client. and the server is running local. so type in root, yourPW, localhost and 3007. have fun!
Try restarting the mysql or starting it if it wasn't started already. Type this within terminal.
mysql.server restart
To auto start go to the following link below:
How to auto-load MySQL on startup on OS X Yosemite / El Capitan
In my case I had a previous mySQL server installation (with non-standard port), and I re-installed to a different directory & port. Then I got the same issue (in windows). To resolve, you click on home + add new connection.
If you need to know the port of your server, you can find it when you start My SQL command line client and run command status (as below). In windows it is via All Programs -> MySQL -> MySQL ServerX.Y -> MySQL X.Y Command Line Client
I had the same issue, I solved this with the following steps:
Install the MySql (DMG) from this link
If the mysql package comes with the file name "mysql-5.7.13...." and
"MySql.prefPane" then your life is really easy.
Just click on "mysql-5.7.13...." and follow the instructions.
After the installation is done, click on "MySql.prefPane" and checkout "Only
for this user" in the popup. We use "MySql.prefPane" to start the mysql
server as this is really imp because without this you will end up having
errors.
Click on Start MySql Server in the next dialog box.
OR
If you don't see "MySql.prefPane" in the package then follow these steps:
Click on package "mysql-5.7.13...." and this will show you one password as
soon as installation is done. That password is use to start the connection.
You can change it. I will let you know in a while.
After installation save the password (this is really important - you'll need it later), open terminal.
$ cd /usr/local/mysql/bin/
$ ./mysql -u root -h localhost -p
And then type the password from above. This should start mysql>
To change the password:
$ cd /usr/local/mysql/bin/
$ ./mysqladmin -u root -p password 'new_password'
Enter Password: <type new password here>
$ ./mysql -u root -h localhost -p
... and log in with the new password.
After this you can go to MySql workbench and test connection. It should connect.
brew services start mysql defualt set --bind-address=127.0.0.1 with /usr/local/Cellar/mysql/5.6.27/homebrew.mxcl.mysql.plist,so replace --bind-address=127.0.0.1 with --bind-address=* or --bind-address=0.0.0.0
for mac : check the compatible version of mysql server in workbench>preference>MySql
if it's the same version with your mysql server in: cd /usr/local/
I am using those commands on MacOs after getting the same error
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server start
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server stop
sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server restart
I had the same problem. I removed mySQL completely, and reinstall it using homebrew.
I had same problem, but it worked for me.
check if you have mysql installed
If you don't have mysql installed, download from this link: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/
follow this instructions to install
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql-osx-excerpt/5.7/en/osx-installation-pkg.html
You can test the connection without any problem.
(Sorry for my english, I agree fix me please)
I Hope I've helped.
Greetings.
I ran into the same scenario
I opened "System Preferences", clicked "MySQL", then clicked "Initialize Database" button. I entered a new password and saved it in a safe place.
After that i restarted the MySql Instance (in the System Preferences dialog as well).
After that i opened MySqlWorkbench and opened the default connection, entered the password i set before and: Viola, i can do whatever i want :-)
I had this same issue on Monterey. Make sure you're selecting the correct download according to your processor architecture.
Community download processor architecture
Also, for the Connection Method use the Local Socket/Pipe
connection method
Dropping this to share my experience.
I had the same problem and realise I didn't start MySql server.
The steps below shows how I was able to login:
To start your server, Go to Preference and find MySql.
Click on the instance tab to start the server
Afterward, return back to Mysql Workbench to start the Local Instance and you'll be connected.
Have fun !
I had similar issues in Mac OS Catalina and the easiest way to solve it is by downloading HOMEBREW package manager for mac. Follow the steps to install HOMEBREW and mysql server.
$ /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
$ brew install mysql
$ brew tap homebrew/services
$ brew services start mysql
mysqladmin -u root password 'yourpassword'
Now try using mySQLworkbench it should work.
I recently tried installing MySQL with homebrew (brew install mysql) and when I try to run it I get the following error:
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
There is no /tmp/mysql.sock nor a /var/lib/mysql.sock.
I've searched and haven't found any mysql.sock file.
How can I fix this?
When you got the server running via
mysql.server start
you should see the socket in /tmp/mysql.sock. However, the system seems to expect it in /var/mysql/mysql.sock. To fix this, you have to create a symlink in /var/mysql:
sudo mkdir /var/mysql
sudo ln -s /tmp/mysql.sock /var/mysql/mysql.sock
This solved it for me. Now my phpMyAdmin works happily with localhost and 127.0.0.1.
Credit goes to Henry
Warning, this will wipe your databases, take a backup if you wish to keep them
I had some directories left from another mysql(8.0) installation, that were not removed.
I solved this by doing the following:
First uninstall mysql
brew uninstall mysql#5.6
Delete the folders/files that were not removed
rm -rf /usr/local/var/mysql
rm /usr/local/etc/my.cnf
Reinstall mysql and link it
brew install mysql#5.6
brew link --force mysql#5.6
Enable and start the service
brew services start mysql#5.6
Looks like your mysql server is not started. I usually run the stop command and then start it again:
mysqld stop
mysql.server start
Same error, and this works for me.
Try to connect using "127.0.0.1" instead "localhost".
If you are able to see "mysql stopped" when you run below command;
brew services list
and if you are able to start mysql with below command;
mysql server start
this means; mysql is able to start manually, but it doesn't start automatically when the operating system is started. Adding mysql to services will fix this problem. To do so, you can run below command;
brew services start mysql
After that, you may restart your operating system and try connecting to mysql to see if it started automatically. I did the same and stop receiving below error;
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket
'/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
I hope this helps.
The file /tmp/mysql.sock is probably a Named-Pipe, since it's in a temporary folder. A named pipe is a Special-File that never gets permanently stored.
If we make two programs, and we want one program to send a message to another program, we could create a text file. We have one program write something in the text file and the other program read what our other program wrote. That's what a pipe is, except it doesn't write the file to our computer hard disk, IE doesn't permanently store the file (like we do when we create a file and save it.)
A Socket is the exact same as a Pipe. The difference is that Sockets are usually used over a network -- between computers. A Socket sends information to another computer, or receives information from another computer. Both Pipes and Sockets use a temporary file to share so that they can 'communicate'.
It's difficult to discern which one MySql is using in this case. Doesn't matter though.
The command mysql.server start should get the 'server' (program) running its infinite loop that will create that special-file and wait for changes (listen for writes).
After that, a common issue might be that the MySql program doesn't have permission to create a file on your machine, so you might have to give it root privileges
sudo mysql.server start
Since I spent quite some time trying to solve this and always came back to this page when looking for this error, I'll leave my solution here hoping that somebody saves the time I've lost. Although in my case I am using mariadb rather than MySql, you might still be able to adapt this solution to your needs.
My problem
is the same, but my setup is a bit different (mariadb instead of mysql):
Installed mariadb with homebrew
$ brew install mariadb
Started the daemon
$ brew services start mariadb
Tried to connect and got the above mentioned error
$ mysql -uroot
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
My solution
find out which my.cnf files are used by mysql (as suggested in this comment):
$ mysql --verbose --help | grep my.cnf
/usr/local/etc/my.cnf ~/.my.cnf
order of preference, my.cnf, $MYSQL_TCP_PORT,
check where the Unix socket file is running (almost as described here):
$ netstat -ln | grep mariadb
.... /usr/local/mariadb/data/mariadb.sock
(you might want to grep mysql instead of mariadb)
Add the socket file you found to ~/.my.cnf (create the file if necessary)(assuming ~/.my.cnf was listed when running the mysql --verbose ...-command from above):
[client]
socket = /usr/local/mariadb/data/mariadb.sock
Restart your mariadb:
$ brew services restart mariadb
After this I could run mysql and got:
$ mysql -uroot
ERROR 1698 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'#'localhost'
So I run the command with superuser privileges instead and after entering my password I got:
$ sudo mysql -uroot
MariaDB [(none)]>
Notes:
I'm not quite sure about the groups where you have to add the socket, first I had it [client-server] but then I figured [client] should be enough. So I changed it and it still works.
When running mariadb_config | grep socket I get:
--socket [/tmp/mysql.sock]
which is a bit confusing since it seems that /usr/local/mariadb/data/mariadb.sock is the actual place (at least on my machine)
I wonder where I can configure the /usr/local/mariadb/data/mariadb.sock to actually be /tmp/mysql.sockso I can use the default settings instead of having to edit my .my.cnf (but I'm too tired now to figure that out...)
At some point I also did things mentioned in other answers before coming up with this.
After installing macos mojave, had to wipe mysql folder under /usr/local/var/mysql and then reinstall via brew install mysql otherwise permission related things would come up all over the place.
In my case, the culprit was found in the logfiles:
$ tail /usr/local/var/mysql/<hostname>.lan.err
2019-09-19 7:32:21 0 [ERROR] InnoDB: redo log file './ib_logfile0' exists. Creating system tablespace with existing redo log files is not recommended. Please delete all redo log files before creating new system tablespace.
2019-09-19 7:32:21 0 [ERROR] InnoDB: Database creation was aborted with error Generic error. You may need to delete the ibdata1 file before trying to start up again.
So I renamed ib_logfile0 to get rid of the error (I had to do the same with ib_logfile1 afterwards).
mv /usr/local/var/mysql/ib_logfile0 /usr/local/var/mysql/ib_logfile0_bak
mv /usr/local/var/mysql/ib_logfile1 /usr/local/var/mysql/ib_logfile1_bak
brew services restart mariadb
I got the same error and this is what helped me:
$ln -sfv /usr/local/opt/mysql/*.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents
$launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/homebrew.mxcl.mysql.plist
$mysql -uroot
mysql>
I faced the same problem on my mac and solved it, by following the following tutorials
https://mariadb.com/resources/blog/installing-mariadb-10116-mac-os-x-homebrew
But don't forget to kill or uninstall the old version before continuing.
Commands:
brew uninstall mariadb
xcode-select --install
ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" - See more at: https://mariadb.com/resources/blog/installing-mariadb-10116-mac-os-x-homebrew#sthash.XQoxRoJp.dpuf
brew doctor
brew update
brew info mariadb
brew install mariadb
mysql_install_db
mysql.server start
Just to add to these answers, In my case I had no local mySQL server, it was running inside a docker container. So the socket file does not exist and will not be accessible for the "mysql" client.
The sock file gets created by mysqld and mysql uses this to communicate with it.
However if your mySql server is not running local, it does not require the sock file.
By specifying a host name/ip the sock file is not required e.g.
mysql --host=127.0.0.1 --port=3306 --user=xyz --password=xyz
If "mysqld" IS running, it's possible your data is corrupted. Try running this:
mysqld
Read through the wall of data, and check if mysqld is reporting that the database is corrupted. Corruption can present in many unintuitive ways:
mysql -uroot returns "ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)".
mysql.server start returns "ERROR! The server quit without updating PID".
Sequel Pro and MySQL Workbench responds that they can't connect to MySQL on localhost or 127.0.0.1.
To recover your data, open my.cnf and add the following line in the [mysqld] section:
innodb_force_recovery=1
Restart mysqld:
$ brew services restart mysql#5.6
Now you can connect to it, but it’s in limited read-only mode.
If you're using InnoDB, run this to export all your data:
$ mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases --add-drop-database --add-drop-table > data-recovery.sql
The file is created in your ~ dir. It may take some time.
Once finished, remove innodb_force_recovery=1 from my.cnf, then restart mysql in normal mode:
$ brew services restart mysql#5.6
Drop all the databases. I did this using Sequel Pro. This deletes all your original data. Make sure your data-recovery.sql looks good before doing this. Also consider backing up /usr/local/var/mysql to be extra careful.
Then restore the databases, tables, and data with this:
$ mysql -uroot < ~/data-recovery.sql
This can be a long import/restoration process. Once complete, you’re good to go!
Thanks go to https://severalnines.com/database-blog/my-mysql-database-corrupted-what-do-i-do-now for the recovery instructions. The link has further instructions on MyISAM recovery.
You'll need to run mysql_install_db - easiest way is if you're in the install directory:
$ cd /usr/local/Cellar/mysql/<version>/
$ mysql_install_db
Alternatively, you can feed mysql_install_db a basedir parameter like the following:
$ mysql_install_db --basedir="$(brew --prefix mysql)"
After a restart I could not connect with the local mariadb, a search also brought me to this page and I wanted to share my solution with you.
I noticed that the directory my.cnf.d in /usr/local/etc/ is missing.
This is a known bug with homebrew that is described and solved there. https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/issues/36801
fast way to fix: mkdir /usr/local/etc/my.cnf.d
When running mysql_secure_installation and entering the new password I got:
Error: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket
'/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
I noticed when trying the following from this answer:
netstat -ln | grep mysql
It didn't return anything, and I took that to mean that there wasn't a .sock file.
So, I added the following to my my.cnf file (either in /etc/my.cnf or in my case, /usr/local/etc/my.cnf).
Under:
[mysqld]
socket=/tmp/mysql.sock
Under:
[client]
socket=/tmp/mysql.sock
This was based on this post.
Then stop/start mysql again and retried mysql_secure_installation which finally let me enter my new root password and continue with other setup preferences.
This works for me:
brew upgrade mysql
If brew does not complete "postinstall"
I only have to use:
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/*
then completed postinstall by:
brew postinstall mysql#5.7
next step just start mysql#5.7 service.
It worked for me on MacOS Monterey.
I also ran into this... it seemingly resulted from some leftover artifacts of multiple mysql installs on my dev machine. Every time I attempted to start or restart the mysql service it would crash. Ultimately, working through the err file helped me solve my issue.
Setup:
M1 Macbook Pro running OS 12 (Monterey)
Homebrew install of mysql#5.7
At various points during troubleshooting I tried uninstalling everything mysql in my Homebrew list, deleting /opt/homebrew/var/mysql, and reinstalling mysql#5.7 to no avail. I also tried restarting my machine.
I was able to validate what was happening when the service failed to start by reviewing the err (e.g., MyComputerName.local.err) log that it was spitting out into /opt/homebrew/var/mysql/ when I tried to start/restart the service via Homebrew. In the beginning, I was seeing things like this that pointed to issues with the config:
mysqld: Table 'mysql.plugin' doesn't exist
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] Can't open the mysql.plugin table. Please run mysql_upgrade to create it.
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] unknown variable 'mysqlx-bind-address=127.0.0.1'
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] Aborting
I deleted my.cnf and my.cnf.default in /opt/homebrew/etc and attempted to start the service again. Then, the failure changed to this:
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] Fatal error: Can't open and lock privilege tables: Table 'mysql.user' doesn't exist
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] Fatal error: Failed to initialize ACL/grant/time zones structures or failed to remove temporary table files.
TIMESTAMPZ 0 [ERROR] Aborting
At this point I noticed several mysql lock files in /opt/homebrew/var/homebrew/locks/ (mysql.formula.lock, mysql.formula#5.7.lock, mysql.formula#8.0.lock); I deleted those files, as well as anything mysql in /opt/homebrew/var/homebrew/linked.
After that, I was able to start mysql without any issues.
just to complete this thread.
therefore MAMP (PRO) is used pretty often
the path here is
/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock
I manually started mysql in the system preferences pane by initialising the database and then starting it. This solved my problem.
I had same problem. After trying all these methods without success I did the following:
tail -f the-mysql-or-maria-db-error-file.err
in another console:
brew services restart mariadb
I saw the following error:
"MAC HOMEBREW Crash recovery failed. Either correct the problem (if
it's, for example, out of memory error) and restart, or delete tc log
and start mysqld with"
So I changed the tc.log extesion to tc.log.txt and restart mariadb
brew services restart mariadb
and done!
[LINUX]
Though answer is expected to be for MacOS only but in Linux we may face the same Error.
I was facing the same issue in Linux. I ran this command:
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql.server start
and I was able to run the MySQL server
Ref. https://gist.github.com/vinodpandey/1a4b5b8228f9a000ca236820185fc3bc
I just ran into this problem, I did some tricks but for me it didn't work. If you used macOS, here is what I did. We start by uninstalling mysql and then reinstalling it.
brew uninstall mysql
brew install mysql
Note: you must have homebrew installed
This happened to me today 2023-02-23 after a homebrew update.
Homebrew had created a new my.cnf.default file, I backed up my old one and replaced it with this new default and restarted Mariadb and everything worked including the old root password.
For me, I had installed mariadb long time ago, then installed mysql#5.7.
When I executed mysql -uroot, I get the error:
ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
Reading the answers:
I uninstalled mariadb
Deleted the folder /usr/local/var/mysql
Ran the command mysqld --initialize
Then I was able to mysql -uroot -p