What if the `/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock` file is missing?

If the socket file is missing, it usually means the MySQL server hasn't created it yet, likely because it's not running. Restarting the MySQL service should recreate the socket. If it doesn't, check the MySQL configuration file (`my.cnf` or `my.ini`) to ensure the `socket` parameter is correctly set and that the server is configured to use a Unix socket.