This is not a wordpress issue and I think it’s unfair to put your problems at its door. The issues you encountered would affect you with any PHP/MySQL application if you chose to run the setup as you have. The optimum solution that I’ve found is Laravel Valet and SequelPro (Both free); valet is your server and SequelPro is your GUI for MySQL. Everything should “just work”.
The problem most likely stems from the fact that Wordpress tutorials are a very competitive space (ads) due to the widespread adoption of the platform, but many are either (a) not very good or (b) out of date. If you follow one that says to use xampp or similar then you will have an experience similar to your own. If you find one that says “use docker” you will have a needlessly complex experience. Tutorials like this should focus on the simplest way to execute something, but are too often written by inexperienced devs or worse, rehashed from other tutorials by marketeers looking to produce SEO friendly content (efficacy of advice be damned).
The problem most likely stems from the fact that Wordpress tutorials are a very competitive space (ads) due to the widespread adoption of the platform, but many are either (a) not very good or (b) out of date. If you follow one that says to use xampp or similar then you will have an experience similar to your own. If you find one that says “use docker” you will have a needlessly complex experience. Tutorials like this should focus on the simplest way to execute something, but are too often written by inexperienced devs or worse, rehashed from other tutorials by marketeers looking to produce SEO friendly content (efficacy of advice be damned).