mysql/mariadb template does not work out the box - incorrect socket path

[jefft]

What happened?

First, thanks for creating devbox! It's already a useful project with amazing potential.

I'm trying to get MySQL running, and although the database runs, the template experience is a bit sad.

There are two technically distinct problems, whose fixes overlap, so I'm describing them both in this bug. I'll link a PR too.

Missing password in test_db_setup command

If I run:

cd /tmp
devbox create mysqltest --template mysql
cd mysqltest
devbox run test_db_setup

the final output is:

ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' (using password: YES)
Error: error running script "test_db_setup" in Devbox: exit status 1

For reference, here is devbox.json:

{
  "packages": [
    "mysql80@latest"
  ],
  "shell": {
    "init_hook": [],
    "scripts": {
      "connect_db": [
        "mysql -u devbox_user -p -D devbox_lamp"
      ],
      "test_db_setup": [
        "mkdir -p /tmp/devbox/mariadb/run",
        "export MYSQL_UNIX_PORT=/tmp/devbox/mariadb/run/mysql.sock",
        "devbox services up -b",
        "sleep 5",
        "mysql -u root < setup_db.sql",
        "devbox services stop"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The problem with test_db_setup is on the line:

mysql -u root < setup_db.sql

It should be:

mysql -u root --password='' < setup_db.sql

because although the root password is blank, it still needs to be specified.

At least, it is my experience (in this script and in a devbox shell) that --password='' (or just -p) needs to be given. It must have worked for the original author without --password=''. I don't know why. Perhaps it's because I'm running as non-root? Perhaps mysqld initialize-insecure changed? Anyway.

Problem 2: too-long socket file paths

Yes, I read the README, but let's spell it out:

Say I try to run MySQL in a shell, rather than through test_db_setup:

cd /tmp/mysqltest   # Created above with 'devbox create mysqltest --template mysql'
devbox services up -b
devbox shell
mysql -u root -p

This works for me.

But if I have the same project in a longer path:

cd ~/src/github.com/jetify-com/devbox/examples/databases/mysql    # source from git
devbox shell
devbox services up -b

mysqld fails with:

...
[mysql_logs     ] 2025-02-17T04:15:07.646616Z 0 [ERROR] [MY-010267] [Server] The socket file path is too long (> 107): /home/jturner/src/github.com/jetify-com/devbox/examples/databases/mysql/.devbox/virtenv/mysql80/run/mysql.sock
[mysql_logs     ] 2025-02-17T04:15:07.646655Z 0 [ERROR] [MY-010119] [Server] Aborting
[mysql_logs     ] 2025-02-17T04:15:08.686569Z 0 [System] [MY-010910] [Server] /home/jturner/src/github.com/jetify-com/devbox/examples/databases/mysql/.devbox/nix/profile/default/bin/mysqld: Shutdown complete (mysqld 8.0.36)  Source distribution.

The problem is that MYSQL_UNIX_PORT is too long, as the README notes, and the fix is to define MYSQL_UNIX_PORT in an env section, as the README notes:

   env": {
     "MYSQL_UNIX_PORT": "/tmp/devbox/mariadb/run/mysql.sock"
   },

So why not just do it in the example app's devbox.json? Every real project is going to have to change MYSQL_UNIX_PORT in this way, because having one's app break depending on where it runs is ridiculous, so surely the 'template' should? I mean, MYSQL_UNIX_PORT is already hardcoded in test_db_setup - just needs to become an env variable:

{
  "packages": [
    "mysql80@latest"
  ],
  "shell": {
    "init_hook": [],
    "scripts": {
      "connect_db": [
        "mysql -u devbox_user -p -D devbox_lamp"
      ],
      "test_db_setup": [
        "mkdir -p /tmp/devbox/mariadb/run",
        "devbox services up -b",
        "sleep 5",
        "mysql -u root --password='' < setup_db.sql",
        "devbox services stop"
      ]
    }
  },
  "env": {
    "MYSQL_UNIX_PORT": "/tmp/devbox/mariadb/run/mysql.sock"
   }
}

With these changes, this works:

devbox services up -b
devbox shell
mysql -u root --password=''

as does:

devbox run test_db_setup

Steps to reproduce

cd /tmp
devbox create mysqltest --template mysql
cd mysqltest
devbox run test_db_setup

Command

No response

devbox.json

From https://github.com/jetify-com/devbox/blob/main/examples/databases/mysql/devbox.json, i.e.:


{
  "packages": [
    "mysql80@latest"
  ],
  "shell": {
    "init_hook": [],
    "scripts": {
      "connect_db": [
        "mysql -u devbox_user -p -D devbox_lamp"
      ],
      "test_db_setup": [
        "mkdir -p /tmp/devbox/mariadb/run",
        "export MYSQL_UNIX_PORT=/tmp/devbox/mariadb/run/mysql.sock",
        "devbox services up -b",
        "sleep 5",
        "mysql -u root < setup_db.sql",
        "devbox services stop"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Devbox version

0.14.0

Nix version

nix (Nix) 2.18.5

What system does this bug occur on?

Linux (x86-64)

Debug logs

No response