Connect to Docker MySQL container from localhost?

I got it!! The answer is to use the --service-ports option when running docker-compose:

docker-compose run --service-ports db (the original docker-compose.yml file works fine)

Thanks to all for the help!

If your Docker MySQL host is running correctly you can connect to it from local machine, but you should specify host, port and protocol like this:

mysql -h localhost -P 3306 --protocol=tcp -u root

Because you are running MySQL inside Docker container, socket is not available and you need to connect through TCP. Setting "--protocol" in the mysql command will change that.

Using docker-compose up

Since you published port 3306 on your docker host, from that host itself you would connect to 127.0.0.1:3306.

Using docker-compose run

In that case the port mapping section of the docker-compose.yml file is ignored. To have the port mapping section considered, you have to add the --service-ports option:

docker-compose run --service-ports db

Additional note

Beware that by default, the mysql client tries to connect using a unix socket when you tell it to connect to localhost. So do use 127.0.0.1 and not localhost:

 $ mysql -h 127.0.0.1 -P 3306 -u root

Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g. Your MySQL connection id is 1 Server version: 5.6.26 MySQL Community Server (GPL)

Copyright (c) 2000, 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the current input statement.

mysql>

$ mysql -h localhost -P 3306 -u root

ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)

A simple way to login to MySQL inside a Docker image is:

sudo docker exec -it <CONTAINER_ID> mysql -u root -p

for mySQL's root account by default password is not set, its BLANK, just press enter/return key, unless you have changed root password.

On successful execution, above command gives you mysql prompt.

Cheers!