Tailscale, Mariadb, Synology NAS and mysql clients they don't like each other. Help

Synology
1

Well I have a MariaDB database set up on a recently purchased D923+. I’ve set up Tailscale and it’s working fine except when trying to connect to my database using various client software (MySQL Workbench and an iOS app called MySQL Mobile Client). I just keep getting the error: “Access denied for user ‘username’@‘localhost’ (using password: YES)”

Can’t figure this thing out for anything. I believe I have my users setup correctly. Tailscale is working as I can get to the NAS remotely with no problems. Just can’t get this connection to the database working. FYI I don’t have SSL/TSL running. Don’t know if that would make a difference.

I scoured the internet and found nothing.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

2

I see this is a tough one, even for the pros. lol. If I get this working I’ll post here what the solution is.

3

Solved the problem. Had nothing to do with the above mentioned. Was totally user error on my part. Matter of user tables and databases. Everything working like a charm.

4

Thank you for reporting back.

5

I came across your older post about having trouble connecting to a MariaDB database on your Synology NAS through Tailscale — and then later you mentioned you solved it (glad to hear that!).

I’m currently facing a very similar situation and I was hoping you could share how you managed to get remote access working.

Here’s my situation briefly:

  • MariaDB running on a Synology NAS (installed via Package Center)

  • A custom Python app connects using:
    HOST = "NAS IP", PORT = 3306, USER, PASSWORD, DB NAME

  • On my local network everything works perfectly

  • Now I want a few employees to access the same database from home

  • I would prefer to use Tailscale for secure remote access, without port-forwarding if possible

I understand how Tailscale works in general (devices on my tailnet can reach each other privately), and I can already access the Synology remotely via the Tailscale IP.
But what I’m not sure about is this:

Were you able to connect to MariaDB remotely just using Tailscale, without any port-forwarding or VPN tunneling?
And if so, what exact steps did you take on your Synology and on the client side?

My main confusion is the database host:

  • On the LAN my Python app uses the local NAS IP

  • When connecting remotely through Tailscale, should I change the HOST to the NAS’s Tailscale IP?

  • Or did you configure something else to make it work?

Basically I’m trying to understand whether Tailscale alone is enough for MariaDB access, or whether you needed extra configuration like SSH tunneling, open ports, VPN Server on Synology, etc.

Any hints or steps you could share would be incredibly helpful — I’ve read a lot of posts and still haven’t found a clear real-world example.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Boris