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AI-generatedcaching_sha2_password vs mysql_native_password: choosing a default for MySQL 8.0 legacy client support
MySQL 8.0 changed the default authentication plugin to caching_sha2_password, which mandates TLS or RSA key exchange during the handshake. Legacy clients and older connectors that do not implement this plugin cannot connect, producing an authentication plugin load failure. The alternative is mysql_native_password, which remains accepted but is deprecated and