How can I fix connection timeouts with MariaDB 10.6+ using MySQL credentials?

Based on the details provided, it appears that n8n’s MySQL node is having trouble authenticating with MySQL servers set up to use caching_sha2_password. Currently, there isn’t a supported way to update the MySQL driver within n8n (or adjust its internal behavior) to work with the new authentication method.

Workaround

Modify the authentication method of your MySQL user so that it uses mysql_native_password instead. You can do this by running a command similar to the following on your MySQL server:

SQLCopied
ALTER USER 'your_username'@'your_host' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'your_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Replace the placeholders with your actual username, host, and password. With this change, your MySQL server will use the same method as in MariaDB 10.4, which should resolve the connection timeout issue.

Additional Notes

• Ensure that the user you’re updating is the one n8n is using for its connection.
• The error message (connect ETIMEDOUT) is likely due to the authentication handshake not completing correctly, so switching back to mysql_native_password should allow a proper connection.

This workaround avoids having to update the underlying MySQL driver, ensuring your workflow can continue running as expected.