Warning: mysql_connect(): [2002] No such file or directory (trying to connect via unix:///tmp/mysql.sock) in

For some reason mysql on OS X gets the locations of the required socket file a bit wrong, but thankfully the solution is as simple as setting up a symbolic link.

You may have a socket (appearing as a zero length file) as /tmp/mysql.sock or /var/mysql/mysql.sock, but one or more apps is looking in the other location for it. Find out with this command:

ls -l /tmp/mysql.sock /var/mysql/mysql.sock

Rather than move the socket, edit config files, and have to remember to keep edited files local and away from servers where the paths are correct, simply create a symbolic link so your Mac finds the required socket, even when it's looking in the wrong place!

If you have /tmp/mysql.sock but no /var/mysql/mysql.sock then...

cd /var sudo mkdir mysqlsudo chmod 755 mysqlcd mysqlsudo ln -s /tmp/mysql.sock mysql.sock

If you have /var/mysql/mysql.sock but no /tmp/mysql.sock then...

cd /tmpln -s /var/mysql/mysql.sock mysql.sock

You will need permissions to create the directory and link, so just prefix the commands above with sudo if necessary.

I also had this error, but could only fix it through the suggestion here.

To summarize, use:

127.0.0.1

Instead of:

localhost

The reason is that "localhost" is a special name for the MySQL driver making it use the UNIX socket to connect to MySQL instead of the a TCP socket.

I was having the same problem and this is how I fixed it:

I had this and it didn't work:

$con = mysql_connect('localhost', 'root', '1234');

I did this and it worked:

$con = mysql_connect(':/Applications/MAMP/tmp/mysql/mysql.sock', 'root', '1234');

Instead of using the mysql server, I connected directly to the Unix Socket. Worked for me.