How to Fix the AWS Error 2003 (HY000): Can’t Connect to MySQL? A Complete Solution

If you’re using AWS to host your website or application, you may run into some errors from time to time. And one of the error is the AWS Error 2003 (HY000). Here, the MySQL client tries and fails to connect to the server in AWS cloud. If you’re stuck with the error, this article is for you. Learn how you can fix this error quickly.

What Causes this Error?

If you inspect the message, which is, “AWS Error 2003 (HY000): Can’t Connect to MySQL” you’ll learn that the client wasn’t able to establish a connection to the MySQL server at AWS. In other words, the traffic from an AWS instance cannot reach the host where the MySQL client is running.

So the user is required to register the public IP address in the respective RDS security groups first. Post this, he can access over the RDS MySQL instance.

How to Fix this Error?

Now that you know making changes to the configuration of the public IP addresses will solve this error, it’s time to get started with it.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

• Figure out the public IP address of the host machine. This machine runs your mysql-client.
• Now, navigate to the security groups to add the IP address for inbound traffic.
• Add the same address for outbound traffic.
• Once you’ve added both, refresh the security groups.
• Test the connection from a mysql-client of your choice.

As an example, you can test by using the following command from a terminal where you’ve configured MySQL:

If it works, you have successfully fixed the error. If problem persists, contact your hosting provider.